David Hearst
Middle East Eye / July 15, 2026
David Hearst, editor in chief of Middle East Eye, says that Andy Burnham’s apology for Labour’s policy on Gaza should be taken seriously, but that it carries consequences far beyond words.
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Hearst says Burnham did not have to raise Gaza as he was being positioned as Labour’s next leader. Unlike Keir Starmer, who defended Israel’s right to cut power and electricity to Gaza, Burnham acknowledged that Britain was too slow to call for a ceasefire, that Israel continues to violate it, and that Netanyahu is trying to make a two-state solution impossible.
But Hearst argues that calling Gaza “a scar on our collective conscience” is easier than healing the wound. He criticises Burnham for refusing to call what is happening in Gaza a genocide, saying the UK has legal obligations under international law and cannot pick and choose which duties to uphold.
He says that a serious policy shift would mean suspending the UK’s trade agreement with Israel, banning settlement goods, stopping British citizens from serving in the Israeli army, ending arms export licences, including F-35 parts, and cutting military and intelligence cooperation. He concludes that Burnham faces a clear choice.
If Labour continues to take Muslim, progressive and anti-war voters for granted, they may walk away for good. To stop the far right from shaping Britain’s future, Labour must rebuild itself around a moral core, and that begins with Palestine.
