July 9 2026
If you were underwhelmed by the ‘apology’ of Britain’s next prime minister, a man with form on ‘strategic ambiguity‘ in respect of Palestine, 1 you’re not alone. Ditto if you aren’t buying the Guardian’s gushing claim of a “reset moment”, and see instead a PR exercise in too little too late damage limitation. Yesterday Jonathan Cook set what a Burnham led government would have to do simply to comply with international law.
Burnham’s contrition on Gaza is hollow. Watch what he actually does in power
Here is a list of the things Britain’s incoming prime minister is obligated to do to avoid collusion in Israel’s genocide, according to an International Court of Justice ruling. Will he do any of it?
His three-minute monologue to camera on Gaza, communicated via social media, was carefully, and cynically, calibrated.
The first minute was dedicated to condemnations of Hamas and concerns about antisemitism – designed to insure against the kind of pile-on endured by Jeremy Corbyn from the political and media class every time he spoke out against Israel.
The rest of Burnham’s piece to camera was no less judiciously weighed.
Vague contrition over the fact that Keir Starmer backed from the outset a supposed “right” by Israel to starve the people of Gaza of food and water – a crime against humanity, for which the International Criminal Court has issued an arrest warrant against Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
Worries about the resulting “humanitarian” suffering of the enclave’s Palestinian population – suffering entirely engineered by Israel.
The need for the return to a two-state solution – the very “solution” that has allowed Israel over the past three decades to devour the Palestinian territories under Israeli occupation with illegal Jewish settlements.
Oh, and criticism of Israel for “appearing” to have committed war crimes.
These words were directed at a very specific audience: the millions of progressive voters who would once have seen Labour as their natural home but have been appalled by the party, in both opposition and government, throwing its weight behind Israel’s genocide in Gaza.
Burnham was keen to tell these people that they should return to the fold under his leadership.
Why? Because, without them, Labour has almost no chance of winning the next general election. Unless he persuades them he will be different, they will either stay home or vote Green.
His fear is a consolation, if a small one. Even in these increasingly authoritarian times, there is a residual power in the exercise of our vote. Politicians cannot ignore us entirely.
But all we have seen so far is that we can influence Burnham’s words. We can force Labour to do better image management. That will not save a single Palestinian, or Lebanese, life. Deeds are needed, not simply words.
So watch Burnham’s actions as prime minister.
Here are some of the minimum things he would do if he was actually serious about ending British complicity in Israel’s genocide. Remember, he is legally obligated to do all the things listed below, according to an International Court of Justice ruling that countries must honour the Geneva Convention and take whatever concrete steps they can to prevent a genocide.
He must de-proscribe Palestine Action, and the chilling impact it was intended to have on those protesting British complicity in what UN inquiries, legal experts, human rights groups and Holocaust scholars all believe to be a genocide in Gaza.
He must advise the Crown Prosecution Service to drop the impending charges against, and prosecutions of, thousands of ordinary people as “supporters of terrorism” for holding placards opposing genocide.
He must insist, more generally, that the UK police stop hounding anti-genocide activists, journalists and lawyers through an expanded and exaggerated interpretation of already-draconian counter-terrorism laws, and also scrap a new National Security Bill being hurried through parliament that will criminalise those trying to scrutinise British collusion in crimes like the Gaza genocide.
He must announce that any Briton who has served in the Israeli military – there are at least 2,000 of them – risks being prosecuted for war crimes on their return to the UK, including the son of Britain’s Orthodox chief rabbi Ephraim Mirvis. Equally, he must remind the police of their duty to investigate prominent figures in Britain using their platforms to incite genocide …
Read in full on Jonathan’s substack …
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- The original version of this post claimed that Burnham has been a recipient of Israel Lobby funding. In fact the relationship is more elusive and indirect.