British Prime Minister Andy Burnham criticized Israel’s policies in Judea and Samaria during his address to the United Nations General Assembly on Tuesday, while saying Britain continues to stand with Israel against threats from Iran and Hamas.
"I have condemned October 7 in the strongest possible terms. We continue to condemn Hamas, and we stand with Israel in the face of the ongoing threats, including from Iran, against Israel and Jewish people around the world. But this does not justify the Israeli government's actions in Gaza or the West Bank," he stated. “We will not stand by as the horrific suffering continues to grow and the prospect of a two-state solution… comes under attack."
Burnham said Britain wants an end to the conflict and called for Israelis and Palestinian Arabs to live alongside one another in peace and security.
"We want to see the suffering and death finally come to an end. We want to see Israeli and Palestinian people living side by side in peace and security. And we will do all we can to keep the hope of that possibility alive," Burnham declared.
He also criticized Israel over tenders for the E1 project linking Jerusalem with Ma'aleh Adumim, arguing that the plan would “threaten to put a viable Palestinian state beyond reach." The British government recently announced a ban on trade in goods produced in Israeli communities in Judea and Samaria in response to the E1 tenders.
Burnham defended the policy at the UN, saying “we live in an age of low trust in politics. If we were to continue to talk about the two-state solution, but fail to back those words with deeds, that trust will fall even lower and our enemies will seek to exploit the alienation that follows from that. We won’t let it happen."
Burnham became Prime Minister in July after succeeding Keir Starmer. Before taking office, he had outlined a platform that called for increased pressure on Israel, including an apology for Labour's initial response to Israel's military campaign in Gaza.
He had also pledged that a government led by him would consider additional sanctions against individuals and entities and examine a ban on goods originating from what he described as "illegal settlements".