FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
May 21, 2025
Media Contact: Melissa Garriga | [email protected] (U.S.) or Nuvpreet Kalra | [email protected] (London)
CODEPINK London Statement On Britain's Announcement to Take Concrete Actions Against Israel
Over the past few days, the Starmer government’s statements have given us the illusion of a change in course towards Israel. In five of the past six days, Britain has flown a surveillance flight over Gaza for Israel. Britain has made no material change in its policy of arming Israel, providing surveillance information, and using its military base on Cyprus for weapons shipments.
On Sunday (May 18th) Britain sent an A400M Atlas plane to Israel from RAF Akrotiri, its military base on Cyprus. Two hours later, it sent a surveillance flight over Gaza. While Britain blithely aids and abets Israel’s genocide against the Palestinian people, how can any of these statements and empty threats of action be taken seriously?
Last week, the UK government defended its continued provision of F-35 fighter jet parts to Israel. In court, they claimed “no genocide has occurred or is occurring", that Israel is not “deliberately targeting civilian women or children.” Britain is defending Israel legally, diplomatically, and with arms.
Israel stopped all aid trucks from entering Gaza on March 2nd. It has taken more than 11 weeks for the government to take any action, even such empty statements and speeches like this. Every day, the Israeli occupation commits heinous massacres. They are even bragging that “the world won’t stop us.”
The day after releasing a joint statement with France and Canada, the UK government suspended talks on its upgraded free trade deal, summoned the Israeli ambassador, and imposed new sanctions on settlers in the occupied West Bank. The government’s suspension of negotiations on its free trade agreement appears to be an encouraging step. However, this is not the current agreement between Britain and Israel, but a larger plan known as the 2030 Roadmap.
The sanctions on the West Bank might be a generally positive step. But at a closer look, these measures are only on three people, two outposts, and two organisations. All of the settlements occupying the West Bank are illegal under international law. These very selective sanctions then give wider justification for the illegal occupation of the West Bank.
These moves should rightly be compared with the United States, which has this week sent a private mercenary company to Israel to run its ‘Gaza Humanitarian Foundation’.
In his speech, Lammy couldn’t even bear to say these words without condemning October 7th and maintaining Israel’s right to commit genocide. We can’t fall for these empty measures. In reality, they are part of sustaining Israel’s genocidal attacks, which have been accelerating to devastating levels this week.
In the face of this, we cannot despair. Smotrich says the “world won’t stop us”. Our leaders bought by zionism will certainly not, but the people will. We must continue our demands for a full arms embargo, an end to British surveillance flights, and the total liberation of Palestine.
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