Before taking office in July, Andy Burnham called the suffering in Gaza "a scar on our collective conscience" and acknowledged that Labour "didn't get it right" on the conflict. He promised increased pressure on Israel. Palestinian advocacy groups in Britain responded cautiously to the statements.
Adnan Hmidan, chair of the Palestinian Forum in Britain, said Burnham's words were important but insufficient. "The scale of devastation, killing, starvation and forced displacement inflicted upon Gaza demands far more than acknowledgment," Hmidan said, "It requires courageous political action."
Nine weeks into Burnham's premiership, Britain continues to process arms shipments to Israel. The government has not announced changes to existing weapons licences or export policies toward the country.
