Labour leadership frontrunner Andy Burnham has apologised for his party's initial response to Israel's war on Gaza, admitting Labour ‘didn't get it right’ and promising a tougher approach toward Israel if he becomes prime minister.
Speaking to The Guardian, Burnham said Labour was too slow to call for a ceasefire and acknowledged the party had alienated many progressive and Muslim voters.
‘I know many people feel that at the start of Israel's military action in Gaza my party didn't get it right and I am sorry about that,’ he said. ‘The response has too often not been good enough.’
Burnham said a government under his leadership would consider further sanctions on individuals linked to Israel's actions in Gaza and back a ban on trade with illegal Israeli settlements.
While describing Gaza as ‘a scar on our collective conscience’ and saying there was growing evidence of war crimes, Burnham still refused to call Israel's actions a genocide, arguing that international courts should make that determination, ‘not politicians’.
The Palestinian Embassy in the UK welcomed Burnham's apology but urged him to match his words with action, calling for a complete arms embargo on Israel, a ban on all trade with illegal settlements, and sanctions on companies profiting from the occupation.
