Miliband Blasts Israel Over Gaza, Vows Ban on Settlement Goods
Speaking at the Labour annual conference, Miliband argued that the suffering inflicted on Israel by its government “cannot justify” the actions that have followed. The conference hall answered with a large round of applause as he condemned the suffering of Palestinians and laid out a tougher line toward the government of Benjamin Netanyahu.
Turning to Britons and others moved by the Palestinians' plight, Miliband said: “We hear you. You were right.”
He said Labour had shifted course under the leadership of Andy Burnham, pledging to confront abuses in Gaza and the West Bank.
“And under Andy's leadership, we have reset our approach. We call out ethnic cleansing by the settler terrorists in the West Bank. We call out the evidence of war crimes in Gaza. We call out Israel's illegal occupation of Palestine, and we match word with action.”
Miliband then moved from rhetoric to policy, unveiling measures aimed at the economic ties that sustain Israeli settlements and signaling that Britain would go beyond statements of condemnation.
“We will ban the import of goods from illegal settlements. We will disrupt the supply lines for British finance, British construction, and British services for illegal settlements.”
The speech ranks among the sharpest criticisms of the Netanyahu government yet voiced by the Labour leadership at the conference.
He was careful, however, to separate the Israeli public from its leaders. “And friends, our argument is not with the people of Israel, but with the actions of its government,” he said.
Miliband also cautioned against efforts to undermine the prospect of a Palestinian state alongside Israel, saying Labour would resist any moves that threaten the two-state solution.
“And when it comes to the attempt to destroy the two-state solution, this party, this movement, this government said we will not let you succeed.”
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