Sir Keir Starmer has written to Labour councillors after a number of resignations following his comments on the conflict in Gaza.
In an LBC interview last week, Sir Keir said Israel had the ‘right to defend herself’ after the Palestinian militant group Hamas killed 1,400 people in Israel.
However, when asked whether cutting off water and power supplies into Gaza was an appropriate response, he said: ‘I think that Israel does have that right, it is an ongoing situation.’
The Labour leader’s comments sparked a lot of anger with critics accusing him of endorsing the collective punishment of the Palestinian people.
About a dozen Labour councillors have reportedly resigned in protest – out of more than 6,000.
Two Oxford City Council members, Cllr Shaista Aziz and Cllr Amar Latif, said they were ‘deeply disappointed and alarmed’ by the Labour leader’s comments which they said seemed to ‘condone the use of collective punishment’.
Keir Starmer has today written to Labour councillors about the Israel-Gaza conflict. It comes after several councillors quit in protest over his stance on Israel's planned invasion of Gaza pic.twitter.com/N6FBMUnViE
— Rachel Wearmouth (@REWearmouth) October 18, 2023
In a letter sent yesterday, Sir Keir called on all parties to the conflict to ‘act in accordance with international law’ and said there should be ‘immediate humanitarian access of food, water, electricity and medicine to Gaza’.
He concluded: ‘If there is any support you need as councillors during this difficult and distressing time, do not hesitate to contact the Party.’
