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News & politics

Starmer’s Dilemma Over Palestinian Situation

(498 Posts)
Anniel Sun 29-Oct-23 15:07:12

This piece comes from the Conservative Party newsletter and is very even handed about Sir Keir’s awkward position. To be fair he has stared down the position of his Muslim MPs and Councillors so is taking a real decision.

Please acknowledge that this article sounds fairly sympathetic towards him.

conservativehome.com/2023/10/28/starmers-middle-east-dilemma-there-is-far-more-at-stake-here-than-the-future-of-a-single-political-leader/

So what do Grans think?

ronib Fri 03-Nov-23 15:15:36

A humanitarian pause to allow aid into Gaza and to help evacuate civilians to safety if possible - yes of course. This is not for a very long period and then the war continues. There are no solutions just now . Just endless death.

ronib Fri 03-Nov-23 18:00:24

Unsurprisingly Israel has just rejected a humanitarian ceasefire until the hostages have been released and returned.

Grany Sat 04-Nov-23 08:36:56

Barry Gardener disagrees with KS stance on Israel Palestine
He says more wars doesn't sove anything. There should be a peaceful solution
Politics Joe youtube short Interview

Iam64 Sat 04-Nov-23 08:51:51

robib - Starmer has always supported Sunak’s position which is to ask the Israeli government to pause the bombing to allow humanitarian aid into Gaza. How you can dismiss this as gesture politics is beyond me.

Burnley, like many other former mill towns has a large community of Muslims, many of Pakistani heritage. All the former mill towns in the north west have seen pro Palestinian demonstrations recently. Meanwhile in Manchester, the Jewish community arranges silent vigils, no banners, no shouting - silence for peace

ronib Sat 04-Nov-23 09:20:39

Iam64 depends on how you view the idea of gesture politics? There’s no reason for the Israeli government to listen to any advice from the Uk, USA or Europe etc. We have no authority over Israel nor Gaza for that matter. It isn’t our battle to fight.
To my way of thinking neither Sunak nor Starmer have any influence over the course of events. It’s all gesturing and no one has stopped to think about its very limited value to the people involved.
Meanwhile a lot of damage is happening to communities in this country and that’s unacceptable.

Grany Sat 04-Nov-23 09:36:50

They backed Netanyahu so he has support from USA UK also they arm Israel
Western governments should listen to calls from millions of people calling for a ceasefire

Casdon Sat 04-Nov-23 09:41:04

If they want a ceasefire why don’t Hammas hand back the Israeli hostages Grany?

ronib Sat 04-Nov-23 09:53:59

Grany since when have governments listened to millions of people?
And which millions do they listen to? Pro Israel or pro Palestine?

DaisyAnneReturns Sat 04-Nov-23 10:01:09

Grany

Barry Gardener disagrees with KS stance on Israel Palestine
He says more wars doesn't sove anything. There should be a peaceful solution
Politics Joe youtube short Interview

But neither you, or Barry Gardener, are Leader of the Labour Party, Grany. Just two people intent, it appears, on undermining his leadership.

Any leader will have much more to think about than a knee-jerk reaction. Anyone who cares, will not jump for the easy solution of blaming someone else and calling for what seems like an obvious and easy solution, but is actually a solution which is not actually possible to achieve yet.

LizzieDrip Sat 04-Nov-23 10:01:57

Grany how do these millions of people propose a ceasefire would work - in real life, practical terms?

DaisyAnneReturns Sat 04-Nov-23 10:05:42

Iam64

robib - Starmer has always supported Sunak’s position which is to ask the Israeli government to pause the bombing to allow humanitarian aid into Gaza. How you can dismiss this as gesture politics is beyond me.

Burnley, like many other former mill towns has a large community of Muslims, many of Pakistani heritage. All the former mill towns in the north west have seen pro Palestinian demonstrations recently. Meanwhile in Manchester, the Jewish community arranges silent vigils, no banners, no shouting - silence for peace

Agree Iam. It's ether no steps forward or small and useful ones like a pause. Starmer and Sunak do not have a choice on this. Talking pie in the sky helps no-one at this point.

Grany Sat 04-Nov-23 10:40:09

Casdon

If they want a ceasefire why don’t Hammas hand back the Israeli hostages Grany?

That has to be done through diplomacy negotiations peacetalks on all sides war only makes more terrorists it solves nothing.

Grany Sat 04-Nov-23 10:56:45

Gaza is 25 miles long and 6 miles wide.

It is home to 1 million catastrophically traumatised children.

They have no water or food.

Israel’s dropped explosives on them equal to 1.5 Hiroshima atomic bombs. In 3 weeks.

Do you get the enormity of the crime we are witnessing yet?

Callistemon21 Sat 04-Nov-23 11:00:56

Yes. I think most of us do.

I think there are some aspects of all this that you are not getting, though, Grany

Grany Sat 04-Nov-23 11:13:48

Calistemon Gazens are living in a concentration camp occupation and apartheid by Israel The bombs need to stop a ceasefire so peace negotiations can begin. In NI after years of fighting negotiations between the two sides brought peace. I know the attack by Hamas needs to be condemned and there are atrocities on both sides but continuing a war killing more Palestinians including women and children will not solve anything. Many people in many countries are calling for a ceasefire now to stop this awful killing of innocents.

Iam64 Sat 04-Nov-23 11:27:32

NI and Israel-Palestine isn’t really comparable

Callistemon21 Sat 04-Nov-23 11:31:18

I didn't say there shouldn't be a ceasefire, Grany
If you read my posts you will see that is what I hope will happen.
The hostages must be released.
Both sides are being intransigent.

vickya Sat 04-Nov-23 11:33:50

Hamas has fuel but won't give it for hospital use. It's to use for the tunnels and to fire rockets at Israeli towns. Israelis are living in shelters. Their children are traumatised too.
Gaza was handed over to the Palestinians as a thriving area. Export of flowers had been the earner. Hamas destroyed the buildings and foliage. They began to attack Israeli areas and so fences were put up. They used the huge amount of funding they got to build tunnels and buy weapons. They ran welfare programmes at first and after they settled in put military installations under schools, hospitals etc, They do not want 2 states. Just one and no Jews. Fuel WAS sent in yesterday but some was taken by Hamas. Although the Palestinians said no fuel for the hospitals the rockets never stopped landing on Israel. Although some did land on Palestinian areas too, killing them.

GrannyGravy13 Sat 04-Nov-23 11:36:07

Grany

Calistemon Gazens are living in a concentration camp occupation and apartheid by Israel The bombs need to stop a ceasefire so peace negotiations can begin. In NI after years of fighting negotiations between the two sides brought peace. I know the attack by Hamas needs to be condemned and there are atrocities on both sides but continuing a war killing more Palestinians including women and children will not solve anything. Many people in many countries are calling for a ceasefire now to stop this awful killing of innocents.

Your repeated posts calling Gaza a concentration camp illustrates that you have absolutely no idea what a concentration camp actually is.

It is an insult to the memories of hundreds of thousands of Jews killed in the Holocaust and more recently those who were killed along with those liberated from concentration camps during the war in the Balkans.

Grany Sat 04-Nov-23 11:38:13

But talking helps bring peace a settlement
continuing wars make more terrorists, countries have to go down the route of talks if there is to be a settlement for both Israel and Palestine. Continuing the war does not help Palestine or Israel

Callistemon21 Sat 04-Nov-23 11:41:07

Concentration camp is an emotive term, and its use in these circumstances is very debatable.
To describe Gaza as such is probably designed to taunt Jewish people who well know what a real concentration camp is like.

GrannyGravy13 Sat 04-Nov-23 11:43:27

Callistemon21

^Concentration camp^ is an emotive term, and its use in these circumstances is very debatable.
To describe Gaza as such is probably designed to taunt Jewish people who well know what a real concentration camp is like.

I fear you have hit the nail firmly on the head

I find this description repeatedly being used by Grany offensive and utterly disgusting.

Grany Sat 04-Nov-23 11:51:34

Well Israel controls when if people can come and go on this small piece of land. They control everything what when food water, electric, fuel. Isreal have taken 95% of Palestinians land.

Galaxy Sat 04-Nov-23 11:54:47

It has been a constant refrain throughout the thread, concentration camp, final solution etc.

Glorianny Sat 04-Nov-23 12:03:17

vickya

Hamas has fuel but won't give it for hospital use. It's to use for the tunnels and to fire rockets at Israeli towns. Israelis are living in shelters. Their children are traumatised too.
Gaza was handed over to the Palestinians as a thriving area. Export of flowers had been the earner. Hamas destroyed the buildings and foliage. They began to attack Israeli areas and so fences were put up. They used the huge amount of funding they got to build tunnels and buy weapons. They ran welfare programmes at first and after they settled in put military installations under schools, hospitals etc, They do not want 2 states. Just one and no Jews. Fuel WAS sent in yesterday but some was taken by Hamas. Although the Palestinians said no fuel for the hospitals the rockets never stopped landing on Israel. Although some did land on Palestinian areas too, killing them.

You need to revise yur opinion on what was happening in Gaza. The country was under blockade by Israel. You cannot grow flowers without water. Israel controlled the water
This report in 2018 by Oxfam
www.oxfam.org/en/timeline-humanitarian-impact-gaza-blockade
The last paragraph calling on the international community to intervene in order to prevent an escalation and violence is especially touching.
This is where the roots of terrorism lie. They will not be eliminated through more persecution.