Andy Burnham‘s decision to impose sanctions on Israel has been hailed by the Iranian regime and Hamas.
The measures announced by the PM and Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband were branded a step towards the ‘end of Israel’ by Iran.
The jubilant response emerged amid a storm over the UK’s ban on trade with West Bank settlements.
The UK curbs, coordinated with France and Canada, were justified as a reaction to ‘ethnic cleansing’ and ‘terrorism’ by Israeli settlers.
However, Israel is closing a British consulate in East Jerusalem and has banned 11 MPs from travelling to the country, accusing Labour ministers of being motivated by the need to woo Muslim voters.
Britain’s Chief Rabbi Ephraim Mirvis said the action was ‘gesture politics’ and would ‘further embolden those, at home and abroad, who use hatred as a weapon against Jews’.
There are also concerns about disrupting crucial counter-terrorism intelligence from Israel.
Andy Burnham said the UK would always stand against ‘injustice’ as he faced MPs after sparking a major row with domestic Jewish leaders and Benjamin Netanyahu’s government
An Israeli settlement in the West Bank, which will be subject to UK sanctions
To the relief of Mr Burnham, the response from Donald Trump has been muted
To the relief of Mr Burnham, the response from Donald Trump has been muted.
The shift in stance appears to have pleased terrorist group Hamas, which effectively runs Gaza.
Spokesman Basem Naim was reported to have described the announcement as ‘important steps in the right direction, but insufficient’.
The Tehran regime has also seized on the UK’s new approach.
According to the Jewish Chronicle, Iranian state radio said: ‘Ultimately, European countries, including Britain, have come to the conclusion that Israel has no future and that, as our martyred leader said, Israel will not survive the next two decades.
‘Many political observers believe this is the beginning of the end of Israel… ‘
At PMQs yesterday, Mr Burnham said Britain was standing up for the ‘underdog’ Palestinians.
The Prime Minister said the UK would always stand against ‘injustice’ as he faced MPs the day after sparking a row with domestic Jewish leaders and Benjamin Netanyahu‘s government.
‘Britain has to stand for fairness against injustice. Where people are being bullied out of their homes, intimidated, we will always stand with the underdog and take what action we can to support them,’ he added.
The PM and Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband have been facing a storm over the ban on trade with West Bank settlements
