London Diary: At last, a moral victory for Gaza

After dragging his feet for months, UK PM Keir Starmer finally announces that the UK will commit to recognising Palestinian statehood

UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer
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Hasan Suroor

After dragging his feet for months, UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer was finally compelled to announce (on 29 July) that the UK would commit to recognising Palestinian statehood at the UN General Assembly session in September — provided Israel fails to take “substantive” steps to end the “appalling” situation in Gaza.

His decision came amid increasing criticism from within his own party for resisting calls to join France in recognising the Palestinian state. His argument? Such recognition must be part of a broader plan leading to a two-state solution.

Seven members of his cabinet along with 130 party MPs — that’s a third of its backbenchers — had publicly protested Britain’s silence. “Behind the scenes, there was huge pressure from very loyal people, people in the cabinet and a lot of ministers,” a government source told The Times.

Foreign secretary David Lammy has been particularly outspoken in his criticism of Israel’s genocidal actions in Gaza. The issue also dominated Starmer’s talks with Donald Trump during his recent visit to Scotland.

The reaction to Starmer’s move has been along predictable lines, with the liberals hailing it as “historic” while the rest — including but not limited to the Right — dismissed it as “political posturing”.

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A pro-Palestine protestor
A pro-Palestine protestor
James Manning - PA Images

The ‘conditions’ for statehood

Ever heard of the Montevideo Convention? Suddenly, everyone — that is everyone who is not impressed by Britain’s proposed move towards recognising the State of Palestine — is citing the Convention to argue that the move is legally dubious.

Signed in Montevideo, Uruguay, on 26 December 1933, the Convention says that a state should have a permanent population, a government, defined territory and the capacity to enter into relations with other states in order to be recognised as a state.

Palestine doesn’t meet these conditions, say critics, and therefore does not qualify for the status of a state.

The counterview, however, is that any entity that possesses all four attributes will certainly be a state, but that doesn’t mean entities that do not possess all four cannot be states too. Confused, already?

By the way, Israel is the only state that has consistently refused to declare its own borders. Should it therefore also be denied recognition?

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Jeremy Corbyn rises again

While on Gaza, remember Jeremy Corbyn, former Labour leader who was hounded out of the party over unfounded allegations of anti-Semitism and proximity to Hamas?

He has announced a new party, provisionally named ‘Your Party’. With him are other Labour members who are frustrated with Keir Starmer’s lazy (until last week) approach to the Gaza crisis and his ‘anti-poor’ domestic agenda.

Former Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn
Former Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn
Peter Nicholls/Getty Images

The co-founder of ‘Your Party’, former Labour MP Zarah Sultana — who was elected to parliament in 2019 — has led a spirited campaign against Israeli actions in Gaza, and Starmer’s belated decision to recognise a Palestinian state is believed to have been prompted by concerns over the potential challenge posed by the new party.

Corbyn remains popular among traditional Labour supporters, the working class, young voters and Muslims. According to a new poll, his favourability ratings run alarmingly close to Starmer’s. The new party claims to have signed up as many as 300,000 supporters within hours of its launch.

The way things are going, Starmer’s decision to give 1.6 million 16- and 17-year-olds the right to vote at the next election — in an attempt to woo young voters — may boomerang in the end.

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Sangh Parivar left high and dry

Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s overseas visits are normally crammed with much-hyped interactions with the local Indian diaspora, especially its Hindu nationalist bits.

His recent UK visit, however, was restricted to official engagements, leaving Hindu religious figures and many in the Sangh Parivar high and dry. The most disappointed were the London-based followers of Lord Basaveshwara, the 12th-century philosopher and social reformer whose statue was unveiled by Modi 10 years ago.

That moment in 2015
That moment in 2015
Basaveshwarainlondon/Facebook

The Basaveshwara Foundation UK expressed ‘deep disappointment’, recalling that the PM had hailed Lord Basaveshwara as a pioneer who had championed democratic ideals and human rights more than 700 years before Abraham Lincoln — and well before the Magna Carta was signed on 15 June, circa 1215.

Their statement read: ‘The decision not to include a pilgrimage visit to the Basaveshwara statue is disappointing, but it is also recognised that the prime minister’s schedule must be very challenging.’

Well, as they say, stuff happens.

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The spirit of unity and peace

In Pakistan, Ahmadiyyas are not recognised as Muslims, but in Britain they have emerged as flagbearers for moderate Islam and are trying to counter the view that it is ‘not compatible with British values’.

“Islam’s core teaching is to love your nation,” a senior leader said at a cultural festival held annually in Hampshire to promote community relations and attended by some 45,000 Muslims this year.

“It is instilled from a very early age that Islam is about service to humanity and also being loyal to your country. So, for us, it isn’t a conflict or a clash of civilisations,” said Azhar Chaudhry, a spokesman for the organisers.

The King and the prime minister both praised the initiative for its “spirit of unity and peace”.

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And, finally, an employment tribunal has ruled that speaking a foreign language at work to prevent a colleague from understanding the conversation can constitute race discrimination and harassment. It has awarded £2,500 in compensation to a worker who had complained that her Polish bosses spoke to each other in their native language, thus shutting her out of their conversation.

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