Starmer refuses to call Israel’s war in Gaza ‘genocide’

Starmer said that he “never described the what's going on in Gaza as genocide” but said that “all sides should comply with international law”.

On the Knesset’s votes to restrict Unrwa’s activities, he told the Commons that he was “very worried and concerned about the decision that's just been taken by the parliament in relation to Unrwa, there's a humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza, and that decision will only make it much worse” and said the decision “needs to be reversed.”

The Prime Minister had already publicly criticised the Knesset’s vote and said in a statement on Monday night that “under its international obligations, Israel must ensure sufficient aid reaches civilians in Gaza” and that “only Unrwa can deliver humanitarian aid at the scale and pace needed.”

92 Members of Knesset voted in favour of barring Unrwa from operating in Israeli territory with only 10 objections. Another bill to restrict the agency’s activities in Gaza and the West Bank was backed 87-9 on Monday.

One of Labour’s earliest actions in government was to restore funding to the controversial agency. Under the Conservatives, the UK was one of several countries that stopped funding Unrwa in January 2024 after Israel accused its employees of participating in the October 7 attacks and subsequent violence.

The Green Party’s co-leader Carla Denyer was elected to Parliament in July’s general election, defeating Labour’s Thangam Debbonaire in Bristol Central.

During her campaign, the Greens were accused of “stirring division” after the JC revealed that they used the Palestinian flag on a batch of election literature.

Denyer used her maiden speech in Parliament to call for a ban on arms sales to Israel.