Keir Starmer faces backlash over Israel stance as shadow cabinet ministers threaten to quit

Labour leader under fire

Sir Keir Starmer is facing a major backlash from Muslim Labour MPs and councillors over his stance on Israel. The Labour leader has refused their demands to call for a ceasefire, but has instead joined calls for humanitarian pauses to allow aid into the Gaza Strip. Two Shadow Cabinet ministers are reportedly considering resigning after Starmer refused to cave in to calls to urge Israel to end its bombardment.

Controversial comments

Starmer's troubles began after he stated in a radio interview two weeks ago that Israel had the right to cut off water and electricity supplies to Gaza. While he later tried to backtrack and claim he never made the comment, it caused anger within the Labour Party. Over 150 councillors have called on Starmer to take a tougher line on Israel.

Support for UN measures

Instead of calling for a ceasefire, Starmer has backed Prime Minister Rishi Sunak's new stance, which supports UN measures to allow more aid to be delivered to Gaza. Starmer stated that the current level of aid and essential utilities getting into Gaza is insufficient to address the humanitarian emergency.

Meeting with backbenchers

Starmer recently met with angry backbenchers to discuss their concerns. One MP described the meeting as "generally quite civilized" but noted that Starmer was not yet on board with supporting a ceasefire. Labour councillors have also expressed their dissatisfaction with the party's position through an angry letter, calling for a ceasefire and the release of all hostages.

Protest resignations

Several Muslim councillors have already resigned in protest at Labour's position on the war. However, a shadow minister defended Starmer's stance, stating that it is impossible to have a ceasefire with a terrorist organization that is holding hostages and launching missiles.

Mosque visit controversy

In an attempt to ease community tensions, Starmer visited a mosque in Wales. While he claimed the visit was a success, leaders at the mosque disputed this, accusing Starmer of misrepresenting the nature of the visit in his tweets and bringing the Muslim community into disrepute.