'Palestinian civilians and kids should not be blamed for inhumanity of Hamas'
Like most party conferences, the memory fades pretty quickly – especially in a week like this. The Labour one was exactly what it needed to be. Not many slip-ups, nothing to cause any problems, a solid 6/10.
The night before Keir Starmer’s speech I got two very different opinions. One staffer said it would be policy-heavy, the other said would be far more emotional – selling the sizzle not the steak.
In the end it was neither. But it was fine. The overriding sensation coming away from conference was relief. Everything relatively smooth. Forgettable. The big news – the only news – was unfolding and is still unfolding 2,500 miles away in Gaza.
Palestinians fleeing the southern Gaza Strip after the Israeli Army issued an evacuation orderWhat is happening is beyond horrific and the situation is changing so quickly. At the time of writing, the Israelis have not gone in, but they are going to – despite pleas from some in the international community.
Shortly we will see the shape of things to come, if not the full extent of the devastation. Last weekend, the terrorist group Hamas drifted over the border into Israel and carried a series of coordinated bloody and inhumane war crimes.
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Ominously, Israel’s full response is yet to come, but inevitably it will be powerful. These are the moments that bring the greatest tests. The key issue is the nature of Israel’s response. Already, a million desperate people have been told to leave the north of Gaza – which is impossible.
Publicly, our Government’s support for Israel is pretty standard but, behind the scenes, it is worried about what comes next. One staffer told me: “I genuinely don’t understand the behaviour of the US. They could have called for a ceasefire, asked for extra time for the people in Gaza to evacuate, put on pressure for a safe humanitarian corridor. Instead they’ve effectively said anything goes.”
Health officers carry an injured man to the Al-Aqsa Martyr Hospital after being found in search and rescue operations launched around buildings that were destroyed or heavily damaged after Israel's attacks in Deir Al Balah, Gaza, on October 14 (Anadolu via Getty Images)We will know shortly how this is going to play out. The instinct to take an eye for an eye is understandable. But we don’t do it.
Justice has to be separate to revenge – that’s how civilisation is supposed to operate. The minute we lose sight of that, we all become the most base, reduced to violence.
And it is not looking good. There is all sorts of chilling rhetoric floating around at the moment.
The most terrifying, for me, is the Israeli president Isaac Herzog who is putting the blame for the inhumanity of Hamas on to all Palestinians in Gaza. He’s effectively made them legitimate targets by saying: “They could have risen up, they could have fought against that evil regime.”
Yes. Half of the two million people who live in the Gaza Strip are kids. What were they supposed to do? What happens to them now? What will you do to them?
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