British Labor opposition leader Keir Starmer has made the first resignation of his 'shadow government' team for refusing to support a “ceasefire” in Gaza. Imram Hussain, 45, MP for Brafrod, has resigned from his position as head of workers' rights.
Hussain alleges disagreements with his leader over Israel's military offensive, which has caused more than 10,000 deaths in response to Hamas terrorist attacks that caused 1,400 deaths. Starmer has to date supported a “humanitarian pause”, but has opposed the “ceasefire” on the grounds that Hamas would not respect it..
More than 20 Labor councilors have resigned in recent weeks and have criticized “the lack of empathy and humanity” of their leader, who went so far as to justify in a radio interview the water and electricity cuts in Gaza as part of the “right to “self-defense” of Israel.
Last Friday, Starmer attempted to amend the plan by citing the need to “alleviate the suffering” of the civilian population and recognizing that Gaza “desperately needs faster humanitarian aid.”. The Labor Foreign Affairs spokesman, David Lammy, has gone further this week and urged Israel to take measures to avoid “the humanitarian catastrophe.”
MP Imram Hussain however decided to break the bank on Wednesday and resign from his position in the “front row” of the Labor Party, although he retains his seat.. “I want to be able to firmly defend the ceasefire, which is what the UN Secretary General has called for,” he wrote in his resignation letter to Starmer.
“In recent weeks, it has become clear that my view of the humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza differs substantially from the position you have taken,” Hussain alleged.. “A ceasefire is essential to end the bloodbath, to ensure the entry of humanitarian aid and to guarantee the release of Israeli hostages.”
The Labor MP Zarah Sultana has presented an amendment in the debate on the King's Speech demanding a ceasefire.. Several MPs from six parties (including at least 14 Labour) announced their intention to back the amendment.
“A humanitarian pause is not an acceptable response to the thousands of men, women and children who are dying,” said Senior Minister and Scottish National Party (SNP) leader Humza Yousaf.. “An immediate ceasefire is the only way to alleviate the suffering of innocent people. “The international community should step forward and put itself on the right side of history right now.”
Yousaf, married to a woman of Palestinian origin, Nadia Maged El-Nakla, has become the most prominent voice in the United Kingdom against the extent of Israeli military retaliation. Her in-laws, Elizabeth and Maged El-Nakla, who were visiting their relatives in Gaza, experienced the bombings very closely and managed to escape through the Rafah border crossing this week.
“I had never seen my father-in-law cry like that,” Yousaf confessed. “He is totally traumatized. They have had to say goodbye to his mother, his son and his grandchildren, including the youngest who is only three months old.”