Hamish Falconer, minister for the Middle East, was heckled by pro-Palestine activistsA Labour minister was heckled while giving a speech on Monday by pro-Palestine demonstrators who called for Britain to “stop arming Israel”.
The minister for the Middle East, Hamish Falconer, stood outside the Palestine mission this week as officials raised the Palestine flag in a small ceremony.
The notable occasion came after the UK formally recognised a Palestine state, as the government continues to push for a two-state solution.
Falconer told the gathered crowds that Labour was hoping this decision would “offer hope and create momentum for real progress” for a ceasefire and the release of Hamas hostages almost two years after the war in Gaza began.
But, as Falconer called for Israel’s aid blockade on the Palestinian territory to be lifted, the crowds started to drown him out, shouting: “Stop arming Israel!”
The shouts came amid concerns that the UK is not doing enough to stop the war.
The UK does still sell millions of pounds worth of arms to Israel and has done for years.
Since 2015, the UK has licensed at least £500 million worth of military exports to Israel.
Labour chose to suspend 30 arms licences to Israel last September over their use in Gaza.
However, there are still approximately 320 of the licences remaining.
According to Oxfam, the UK still provides approximately 15% of the components in Israel’s F-35 fighter jets which are then used in airstrikes across Gaza.
The government insists it only supplies these parts to Israel indirectly via a global programme – which it alleges cannot be tracked due to the supply chain – led by the US-based firm Lockheed Martin.
The UK also provides components for Israeli armed and surveillance drones, and provides intelligence from spy flights over Gaza and the West Bank, according to Oxfam.
The government previously said it had not suspended all the licences because they believe “they are not for military use in the current conflict in Gaza and therefore do not require suspension”.
It said: “Export licences cover a range of products including things such as food-testing chemicals, telecoms and data equipment.”
Britain’s decision to formally recognise a Palestinian state came amid growing international fears about the humanitarian crisis in Gaza.
A UN commission inquiry also concluded last week that Israel is committing genocide on the Palestinian people with its war efforts after more than 65,000 deaths in Gaza, although Israel has denied such a claim.
The UK government is yet to agree with that UN assessment.
"Stop arming Israel"
Govt minister Hamish Falconer was heckled as he spoke outside the Palestinian mission in London yesterday, & rightly so as he's a member of a govt that not only denies genocide is taking place, but one which is actively complicit in that genocide. pic.twitter.com/fFrawO882z
Bengali (Bangladesh) · 
English (United States) ·