UN vote illustrates how Starmer is at odds with international opinion on Gaza

“The UN vote… significantly shows the disconnect between the political establishment represented by Sunak & Starmer, & the majority of voters.”

By Fraser McGuire

Last week, an emergency session of the United Nations was convened to vote on a resolution demanding an immediate humanitarian ceasefire in Gaza, after UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres invoked the rarely used Article 99, which gives the Secretary-general the power to “bring to the attention of the Security Council any matter which in his opinion may threaten the maintenance of international peace and security”. UN General Assembly President Dennis Francis opened the emergency session by stressing the importance of the vote and protecting civilians, saying “We have one singular priority – only one – to save lives”.

The outcome of the vote demonstrates the strength of international opposition to Israel’s assault on Gaza, with 153 UN member states voting in favour of the resolution. Only 10 countries were opposed, and 23 nations, including the UK, abstained from the vote. While the vote is non-binding, it is indicative of a noticeable shift in international support for Israel, as 32 countries, including Canada, Denmark, and Japan, changed their vote from the previous month. Widespread coverage of Israeli targeting of civilians, as well as huge numbers of protestors taking to the streets globally to call for an end to Western complicity in Israel’s apartheid policies and war crimes, is increasingly leading to supporters of the Israeli state’s position being politically isolated at home and in the UN.

Israel’s attacks on Gaza, where nearly half the population is under the age of 18, has seen more than 18,000 civilians murdered, as well as the targeting of journalists, ambulances, humanitarian sites, and critical infrastructure, leading to fatal shortages of food, water, and other basic goods. The mounting human cost and the growing humanitarian crisis are making it impossible for all but the most uncritical supporters of Israel to defend the government’s policies and rhetoric, with the UN Secretary General saying that they “expect public order to completely break down soon, and an even worse situation could unfold including epidemic diseases and increased pressure for mass displacement into Egypt”.

As one of just 23 countries to abstain from the UN vote, the position of Rishi Sunak’s UK government is clearly out of touch with both the broad international consensus for a ceasefire and demands for the end of apartheid policies against Palestinians here in the UK less than a month after a million people took to the streets of London in solidarity with the Palestinian people. Not only does the UN vote highlight the extreme minority stance that the UK government has taken, but it significantly shows the disconnect between the political establishment represented by Sunak and Labour leader Keir Starmer, and the majority of voters – 76 percent of whom, polling shows, support a ceasefire. For all the rhetoric of the Labour Party being ‘a government in waiting’, the stance of Starmer and the Labour leadership is at odds with most of the international community and isolated even among the UK’s “historic allies”, many of whom have shifted their support following Israel’s lurch to the extreme right over the past year and the genocidal policies being pursued against the civilian population of Gaza.

It is essential to acknowledge that the significant shift in some country’s positions on the Israeli bombing of Gaza has not occurred in a vacuum and is very closely linked to actions and demonstrations across the world calling for an end to economic and military support for Israel’s far-right government. Just last week in the UK, major property management company, Fisher German, has severed all connections with Israeli weapons firm Elbit Systems, after widespread public pressure and a persistent and effective campaign of direct action.

The calls of many millions of people across the world for solidarity with the Palestinian struggle is having an impact on both governments and corporations, and seriously weakening the international support which Israel relies upon to continue its military assault on the people of Gaza.

Fraser McGuire is the Chair of East Midlands Unite Hospitality, Young Labour’s East Midlands representative and an organiser for Arise: A Festival Of Left Ideas. 

You can follow him on Twitter and Instagram.

Featured image: demonstrators gathering by Hyde park with lots of Palestine flags on October 21st, 2023. Photo credit: Sam Browse, Labour Outlook.

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