UK Labour Party members vote to recognise Gaza genocide at conference

In a move that puts pressure on the UK government to take the same position, members of the Labour Party in the UK have voted to support Israel’s condemnation of the genocide in Gaza.

A UN Commission of Inquiry, which earlier this month declared that Israel “has committed genocide,” was supported by delegates at Labour’s party conference. Trade unions overwhelmingly voted in favor of the outcome.

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The decision contrasts with senior ministers and Labour leader Keir Starmer’s claim that international courts should decide genocide cases rather than politicians.

Israel is accused of committing genocide in a case before the International Court of Justice (ICJ) in The Hague.

Following the conference vote, Deputy Prime Minister David Lammy once more confirmed that position.

“That implies that the ICJ, along with their judges and judiciary, and the ICC, must decide whether a genocide was committed in accordance with the convention.” Politicians like me shouldn’t be doing that, he said, adding that he backed “the rules-based order”.

The public can then make their own judgment about what they see, he said.

The vote represents “a huge defeat for the government,” according to Ben Jamal, director of the activist group Palestine Solidarity.

“It is now necessary for the government to impose comprehensive sanctions on Israel and a complete arms embargo,” the statement read.

If the government attempts to ignore this significant vote, it will be in conflict with its own party, in denial of the facts, and become more and more isolated around the world.

solidarity demonstrations against Palestine Action

The Israeli government’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs criticized the Labour decision, saying, “While]US President] Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister] Benjamin Netanyahu are working tirelessly in Washington to end the Gaza war, the UK Labour Party chooses to support Hamas and fully embraces its lies, including the fake-genocide campaign.”

The US and Israel’s efforts to put an end to the war are supported by the world. “Labour supports Hamas,” it said.

The Labour vote took place one day after the UK’s far-right Reform Party’s deputy leader Richard Tice visited Israel. Gideon Saar, the minister of foreign affairs in Israel, reported on X that Tice had expressed his party’s opposition to the United States’ earlier recognition of a Palestinian state at the UN General Assembly and thanked him for standing by Israel.

This year’s Labour conference was predominated by the conflict in Gaza. A pro-Palestinian activist alleged complicity in Israel’s actions in a pro-Palestinian activist’s speech earlier on Monday.

Less than ten minutes after Reeves’ address, the protester, later identified as Sam P, asked, “Why is Britain still arming Israel?”

He continued, “Labor is complicit in the widespread starvation of Palestinians.”

Reeves responded, “We are acknowledging a Palestinian state and we understand your cause.” However, we are no longer a protest party in the government.

Police confirmed that during a sit-in to protest the government’s ban on the activist group Palestine Action, they had arrested 66 people.

About 100 people held signs that read, “I oppose genocide,” before the demonstration started on Sunday afternoon. “I back Palestine Action.”

In April, the UK government declared Palestine Action a “terrorist” organization. A Royal Air Force aircraft allegedly carrying weapons parts to Israel was covered in red paint after activists allegedly sprayed it with the paint.

Trade unions overwhelmingly supported the decision [Phil Noble/Reuters]

Should Israel be banned from international competitions?

Due to the genocide in Gaza, more people are calling for Israel to be barred from World Cup and Eurovision.

More and more people are calling for Israel to be expelled from international sports and cultural competitions.

Many claim that while Israel is staging a genocide in Gaza, it should not be participating in international affairs.

What is the case for and against excluding Israel in light of the upcoming World Cup and Eurovision Song Contest?

Presenter: Nick Clark

Guests:

Ashish Prashar, political strategist, former adviser to Tony Blair and Game Over Israel campaign director, is a political strategist.

Dan Perry, publisher of “Ask Questions Later” on Substack, is a Tel Aviv-based former editor of the Associated Press news agency in Europe, the Middle East, and Africa.

Lawyer for suspect in Kirk killing wants more time to review evidence

A 22-year-old man is accused of killing right-wing activist Charlie Kirk, and an attorney for him has requested that the prosecution’s case be reviewed before making a decision to request a preliminary hearing.

According to my understanding, there will be a lot of digital [evidence] coming, Tyler Robinson’s lawyer Kathryn Nester told the court on Monday.

If Robinson’s case is strong enough, a preliminary hearing would decide whether the case should proceed. In the US state of Utah, Robinson has been charged with aggravated murder and intends to seek the death penalty.

The Utah Valley University campus in Orem, a few miles away from the hearing, was located in Provo, where many students are still recovering from the day-and-a-half search for the suspect and the September 10 shooting.

When Robinson showed up with his parents at the sheriff’s office in southwest Utah, which is located more than three hours away from the shooting site, to turn himself in, authorities arrested him. Since then, Robinson’s involvement in the murder has been documented by the prosecution through corroborating text messages and DNA evidence.

Before the first hearing, Utah County Attorney Jeff Gray told reporters that Robinson had the right to kill one of the country’s leading conservative voices in a note he left for his romantic partner before the shooting. Additionally, Robinson claimed that he had enough of his hatred when he sent his partner a text about Kirk.

Many Republicans have been stoked by the assassination of Kirk, a close ally of President Donald Trump’s efforts to sway young voters toward conservatism, who has pledged to carry on Kirk’s goal of moving American politics further right.

Trump has referred to Kirk as a “martyr” of freedom and threatened to repress the “radical left” in his campaign statements.

Employers in the US have received punishment or firing for making public statements about Kirk after his death, including journalists, teachers, public and private employees, and celebrities like Jimmy Kimmel, whose late-night show was suspended and then reinstated by the ABC network.

Through his podcast, social media, and campus events, Kirk’s political group, Arizona-based Turning Point USA, introduced young evangelical Christians to politics. At the upcoming campus events that Kirk planned to attend, including Utah Governor Spencer Cox and Utah State University’s Senator Mike Lee on Tuesday, a number of well-known Republicans will be filling in.

Judge Tony Graf made a brief admission at Monday’s hearing that the case is likely to garner a lot of attention, and he made sure to point out that “Mr. Robinson’s constitutional rights will be protected at every stage,” as well as those of the victims.

He instructed both sides to “accomplish our roles with integrity, civility, and diligence.” Each of you is asked to give their absolute best to this situation. Utah’s citizens and Mr. Robinson both deserve something more than a fair and impartial administration of justice.

Here’s the full text of Trump’s 20-point plan to end Israel’s war on Gaza

A 20-point plan that the White House has proposed that would put an end to Israel’s ongoing conflict with Gaza, which has resulted in the deaths of more than 66, 000 Palestinians and destroyed the Palestinian enclave, has been unveiled by the White House.

If both sides agree on a plan, the conflict will end right away, with all Palestinian prisoners in Gaza who are alive and dead returning within 72 hours. Israel won’t annex Gaza, and the Palestinian technocratic government will temporarily rule the region with no role for Hamas.

Netanyahu, the prime minister of Israel, has accepted Trump’s plans, but Mahmoud Mardawi, a Hamas official, claimed the group has not yet received his written version of the Gaza peace plan.

Trump’s comprehensive 20-point plan to end Israel’s genocide in Gaza was published in full:

  • Gaza will be a deradicalized, terrorist-free zone that doesn’t threaten its neighbors.
  • The people of Gaza, who have endured more than enough suffering, will benefit from the rehabilitation of Gaza.
  • The conflict will end right away if both parties accept this suggestion. In order to prepare for a hostage release, Israeli forces will withdraw to the agreed-upon line. Battle lines will remain frozen until the conditions are favorable for the complete staged withdrawal, and all military operations, including aerial and artillery bombardment, will be suspended while this is happening.
  • All hostages, both alive and dead, will be released within 72 hours of Israel’s public acceptance of this agreement.
  • After all hostages are freed, Israel will release all of the women and children who were held after October 7th, 2023, including all of the women and children held in that situation, as well as the 250 life sentence prisoners and 1,700 Gazans who were detained after that time. Israel will release the remains of 15 deceased Gazans for every Israeli hostage whose remains are released.
  • Hamas members who pledge to peaceful coexistence and the decommissioning of their weapons will receive amnesty once all hostages are freed. Gaza residents who wish to leave Gaza will have safe passage to their home countries.
  • Full aid will be immediately delivered to the Gaza Strip upon conclusion of this agreement. The minimum amount of aid needed will be in line with the humanitarian aid agreement from January 19 to 2025, including the rehabilitation of infrastructure (water, electricity, sewage), hospitals, bakeries, and the insertion of the necessary equipment to remove rubble and open roads.
  • Through the United Nations, its agencies, the Red Crescent, and other international organizations that are not in any way connected to either party, distribution and aid will enter the Gaza Strip without any interference from either party. The same mechanism that was used to start the Rafah crossing on January 19, 2025, will apply.
  • A technocratic, apolitical Palestinian committee will be in charge of administering Gaza’s daily operations for the people of the country. A new international transitional body, the “Board of Peace,” will be headed and chaired by President Donald J. Trump, with addition members and heads of state announced, including former prime minister Tony Blair. The committee will consist of qualified Palestinians and international experts. Until the Palestinian Authority has completed its reform plan, as stated in various proposals, including President Trump’s peace plan in 2020 and the Saudi-French proposal, and has the authority to establish the framework and manage the funding for Gaza redevelopment, this body will establish the framework and manage the funding until it is able to successfully and securely regain control of Gaza. This body will use the best international standards to create a modern, effective governance that benefits Gaza’s citizens and encourages investment.
  • A panel of experts who have helped create some of the Middle East’s vibrant modern miracle cities will convene to form a Trump economic development plan to rebuild and revitalize Gaza. Well-intentioned international organizations have compiled a number of thoughtful investment proposals and innovative development ideas, and they will be used to synthesize the security and governance frameworks to attract and facilitate these investments, which will provide employment, opportunities, and hope for the future of Gaza.
  • With the participating nations’ parties to be negotiated, preferred tariff and access rates will be established.
  • No one will be forced to leave Gaza, and those who want to remain are both free to do so and to go back. We’ll encourage people to stay and give them the chance to improve Gaza.
  • Hamas and other groups all agree that Hamas and other groups have no influence on Gaza’s governance, whether directly or indirectly. All military, terrorist, and offensive infrastructure, including tunnels and factories for producing weapons, will be destroyed and not rebuilt. Under the supervision of independent monitors, a demilitarization process will be carried out in Gaza that will include putting weapons permanently beyond use through a mutually agreed decommissioning procedure supported by an international buy back and reintegration program that has been independently verified by the independent monitors. The New Gaza will fully commit themselves to promoting peaceful coexistence with its neighbors and to establishing a prosperous economy.
  • Regional partners will provide a guarantee that Hamas and the factions will fulfill their obligations and that New Gaza will not pose a threat to its neighbors or its citizens.
  • A temporary International Stabilization Force (ISF) will be created in Gaza in collaboration with Arab and international partners. The ISF will consult with Jordan and Egypt, who have extensive experience in this field, to train and support vetted Palestinian police forces in Gaza. The long-term internal security solution will be this force. Along with newly trained Palestinian police forces, the ISF will collaborate with Israel and Egypt to secure border areas. In order to rebuild and revitalize Gaza, it is necessary to stop munitions from entering the country and facilitate the quick and secure movement of goods. The parties will come to a deliberation mechanism.
  • Gaza will not be occupied or annexed by Israel. The [Israeli military] will withdraw as the ISF establishes control and stability based on demilitarization standards, milestones, and time frames that will be agreed upon by the [Israeli military], the guarantors, and the United States, with the goal of a secure Gaza that no longer poses a threat to Israel, Egypt, or its citizens. The Israeli military will actually give the ISF control of the Gaza territory until they have already withdrawn from it, with the exception of a security perimeter presence that will remain until Gaza is adequately protected from any resurgent terror threat.
Benjamin Netanyahu greets US President Donald Trump as he makes his first appearance at the White House in Washington, DC, on September 29, 2025. [AFP]
  • The above, including the expanded aid operation, will continue in the terror-free regions that the [Israeli military] have given to the ISF in the event Hamas delays or rejects this proposal.
  • In order to change Palestinians and Israelis’ minds and narratives, an interfaith dialogue process will be established based on the principles of tolerance and peaceful coexistence, focusing on the advantages that peace can bring about.
  • The conditions may finally be in place for a credible path to Palestinian self-determination and statehood, which we recognize as the Palestinian people’s aspiration, as the re-development of Gaza progresses and the PA reform program is faithfully implemented.
  • Israel and the Palestinians will engage in a dialogue to come to terms with a political horizon for peaceful and prosperous coexistence.