Jeremy Corbyn: UK must decide if it will 'block efforts to expose truth' over Israel support
Jeremy Corbyn has told Middle East Eye that the British government must decide whether it will support an inquiry into UK involvement in Israel's war on Gaza, or 'block our efforts to expose the truth'.
On Wednesday, the former Labour leader presented in parliament his bill for an independent, Chilcot-style public inquiry into Britain's support for Israeli military operations in Gaza.
The bill passed without division and Corbyn hailed the development, telling MEE: 'We have passed a major hurdle in establishing an independent inquiry into the UK's involvement in Gaza.
'I will now be writing to the prime minister to ask for assurance that the government will not stand in the way.'
The independent MP said: 'The government must decide: will it support an inquiry that has support from MPs across the political spectrum, or will it block our efforts to expose the truth?'
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John McDonnell, the former Labour shadow chancellor, who is also supporting the bill, told MEE: 'All we are asking for is the truth to be told about the genocide taking place in Gaza, not just to expose the horrendous brutality of Israel's actions, but to enable those accountable for this war crime to be held to account.'
The Gaza (Independent Public Inquiry) bill is now on the House of Commons' order of business for 4 July, though it is listed low down the order paper and will only be debated if the government decides to give it the time.
There are already indications that Prime Minister Keir Starmer's government will seek to torpedo efforts to establish an inquiry, which would seek the full cooperation of both Labour and Conservative ministers involved in decision-making processes since October 2023, when Israel's war on Gaza began following the Hamas-led attacks of 7 October.
Asked by Corbyn about the provision of components for the F-35 jets used by Israel and if the government would support his inquiry, the UK Minister for the Middle East Hamish Falconer replied: 'I do not see that this could be any further scrutinised and litigated… or what an independent inquiry on the F-35 parts would achieve.'
In an earlier statement on Gaza, Falconer said the British government was 'appalled by repeated reports of mass casualty incidents, in which Palestinians have been killed when trying to access aid sites in Gaza'.
He said Britain was continuing to 'strongly support efforts led by the US, Qatar and Egypt to secure an immediate ceasefire in Gaza', and that the Israeli government's 'decision to expand its military operations in Gaza and severely restrict aid' undermined these goals.
'All we are asking for is the truth to be told about the genocide taking place in Gaza'
- John McDonnell, former Labour shadow chancellor
Presenting his bill in parliament shortly after Falconer's response, Corbyn spoke of the need for an inquiry into the UK's 'economic, military and political cooperation with Israel since October 2023,' including the sale or supply of weapons and the use of the Royal Air Force base Akrotiri on Cyprus, from which transport and spy planes fly regularly.
He said the inquiry should find out the full list of military shipments to Israel, stating: 'It's very simple: until this government ends the sale of weapons to Israel, it remains complicit in the mass murder of Palestinians.'
Corbyn referenced the Chilcot inquiry into the UK's involvement in the Iraq war, which was published – after much resistance from the government – in 2016 and found 'serious failings within the British government'.
Labour's leader at the time, Corbyn apologised for his party's 'catastrophic decision to go to war in Iraq'. In parliament on Wednesday, Corbyn said 'history is now repeating itself'.
UK: Corbyn and new independent MPs urge Labour to act on Gaza Read More »
'Over the past 18 months, human beings have endured a level of horror and inhumanity that should haunt us all forever,' he said of Israel's war on Gaza, which has claimed the lives of over 55,000 Palestinians.
'We are not just witnessing a war, we are witnessing a genocide, this time live-streamed all over the world,' he continued.
Corbyn highlighted Britain's "highly influential role in Israel's military operations'.
Export data released in May showed that the UK approved $169m worth of military equipment to Israel between October and December 2024, shortly after the Labour government had partially suspended arms exports over concerns they could be used unlawfully in Gaza.
RAF flights
British surveillance flights over Gaza have continued even following Foreign Secretary David Lammy's announcement that the UK was suspending free trade agreement talks with Israel in response to its expanded military operations in the Palestinian enclave.
RAF shadow aircraft have conducted hundreds of surveillance flights from Akrotiri over Gaza since the war began. Corbyn called for the inquiry to uncover what exactly the base in Cyprus is being used for, regarding the supply of arms and intelligence.
'In the future, our history books will shame those who had the opportunity to stop this massacre'
- Jeremy Corbyn
At least 40 parliamentarians now support Corbyn's bill, and MEE understands that more MPs have expressed support for a second reading following the former Labour leader's Wednesday speech in parliament.
'Today, children are taught about history's worst crimes against humanity. They are asked to reflect on how these crimes could have possibly occurred,' Corbyn said in that speech.
'In the future, our history books will shame those who had the opportunity to stop this massacre but chose to enable atrocity after atrocity instead.'
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