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Alleged war criminals and the racist far-right pile in to criticise the UK recognising Palestine

On 21 September, the UK finally acknowledged Palestinian statehood. As we reported, there’s a 100+ year history behind this, and the majority of UN nations had already done the same thing. The reason it happened now is because Israel’s genocide in Palestine escalated into a man-made famine, and Western governments needed to give the impression they were doing something.

In response to this late gesture, senior Israeli politicians (and the British far-right) have blown a gasket. As these same politicians are accused of war crimes, it’s unclear why anyone would take them seriously:


Two-state solution: Israel is NOT happy

Yesterday, we covered Palestinian ambassador Husam Zomlot who explained why recognition of Palestinian statehood is overdue. Zomlot said:

What does 7th of October, Hamas, have to do with the Palestinian right to self-determination? May I ask you, Laura?

This right to self-determination, the right to exist on our homeland, has come long before Israel, long before Hamas. This is an inalienable right of the Palestinian people, a birthright, long overdue. And the question is never, why should the UK recognise the state of Palestine? The question is why didn’t the UK recognise the state of Palestine all along?

It’s noteworthy that we don’t withhold recognition of statehood from other countries who do things we condemn. It’s also obviously the case that we refused to acknowledge their statehood long before October 7th. Oh, and do you know who supported Hamas being in power – that’s right – Benjamin ‘war crimes’ Netanyahu – all to make the Israeli project of oppression easier to sell to the West.

Western politicians have long claimed to be pursuing a ‘two-state solution’ in which Israel and Palestine exist in harmony alongside one another. This is what our apparent ally Netanyahu thinks about that (translated from Hebrew):

There will be no Palestinian state. The response to the latest attempt to force upon us a terror state in the heart of our land will be given after my return from the United States

I have a clear message to those leaders who are recognising a Palestinian state after the horrendous October 7 massacre: You are rewarding terror with an enormous prize.

And I have another message for you: It’s not going to happen. There will be no Palestinian state to the west of the Jordan River.

For years I have prevented the creation of that terror state, against tremendous pressure, both domestic and from abroad.

Netanyahu also confirmed a dedication to continued expansion:

We have done this with determination, and with astute statesmanship. Moreover, we have doubled the Jewish settlement in Judea and Samaria, and we will continue on this path.

People understand it’s bad to expand into surrounding countries, right? Like what Putin is doing in Ukraine, or what Hitler did in Poland, or what the Normans did in England?

You almost have to feel sorry for our politicians, because it’s getting harder and harder to defend this freak.

Netanyahu finished by saying:

The response to the latest attempt to force upon us a terror state in the heart of our land will be given after my return from the United States. Stand by.

The International Criminal Court (ICC) has an arrest warrant out for Netanyahu for alleged war crimes. They also have an arrest warrant out for his former defence minister Yoav Gallant, who had this to say:

It’s not just Netanyahu and his allies either:

Home grown hate

You know who else is siding with the accused war criminals? That’s right, little Tommy Robinson:


What a grim bunch, eh?

And it’s a bigger bunch than you think; here are some allegedly serious Tory MPs siding with the war criminals and the far right:

People keep saying ‘at this time’ without acknowledging we’re in a moment at which Israel seems to be pushing a final solution against the Palestinians. If something doesn’t happen soon, there may not be another time.

And to people referencing the hostages, please bear in mind that Israel has repeatedly made it clear it will continue even if the hostages are released.


How are you going to negotiate a two-state solution when you won’t even acknowledge that one side is a state, or that the other side is committing a genocide (and before that committing an illegal occupation and/or apartheid)?

Another group supposedly committed to a two-state solution is Labour Friends of Israel, who had this to say:


Dark times

As many have noted, there’s a very real risk that recognising Palestinian statehood ends up being little more than an empty gesture. The reason people are opposing it is because the crime of genocide is so great it must be defended at all times from all angles. As soon as those defences fall, the criminals who enacted and supported these acts are in trouble. And whether they like it or not, the defences are falling.

Featured image via Hindustan Times

By Willem Moore

This post was originally published on Canary.