If the new Labour government signalled one thing indisputably at its party conference this year, is that it’s an unrepentant apologist for genocidal war criminals. This was particularly apparent at a Labour Friends of Israel (LFI) official fringe event. There, cabinet members – half themselves funded by the pro-Israel lobby group – welcomed Israel’s hard right genocide-mongering ambassador with open arms. Obviously, this was in sharp contrast to its violent repressive reception towards activists protesting for Palestine at conference.
Ambassador Tzipi Hotovely’s disgusting genocidal rap-sheet has been hard to miss. But it didn’t stop Labour’s top-dogs hobnobbing will Hotovely anyway.
LFI at Labour conference hosting genocide-mongers
It’s now nearly a year into Israel’s indiscriminate genocide in Gaza where it has killed over 41,000 Palestinians, and displaced 90% of the population. Meanwhile, the violent settler colonial state has turned its sights on Lebanon in another slew of likely war crime massacres. There, it has launched a brutal bombing campaign – killing hundreds and already displacing over 90,000 people.
As all this continues, the Labour Party conference hosted Israeli ambassador Tzipi Hotovely. It was at a fringe event hosted by LFI.
As the Canary previously highlighted, conference also welcomed former IDF general and opposition leader Yair Golan. Golan has a torrid history in the oppressive occupation of Palestinians in the West Bank. And less than a week ago, Golan was calling for Israel to invade and occupy Lebanon. Declassified journalist John McEvoy also pointed out this is guy who has effectively called for the collective punishment of the Palestinian people:
“We need to say to them: listen, until the [captives] are released, from our side, you can die from starvation. It’s totally legitimate”.
These were the words of Israeli politician Yair Golan, pictured below with David Lammy at the Labour party conference. pic.twitter.com/yaOHlFHDE3
— John McEvoy (@jmcevoy_2) September 24, 2024
Naturally, he met with Starmer and foreign secretary David Lammy. This was to discuss removal of the UK’s few arms embargoes on Israel.
But, if Golan’s conference cameo was a sign of the utterly depraved moral vacuity of Starmer’s Labour government, Hotovely’s warm welcome only added fuel to the fire.
Cabinet cosying up to Israel’s genocidal ambassador to the UK
This is because the far right ambassador has also been vocally, unashamedly genocidal – and on numerous occasions at that.
Just since Israel began its siege on the strip, she has voiced murderous ethnic cleansing intent to the UK corporate press:
“Every school, every mosque, every second house” in Gaza is a legitimate target for Israel, Hotovely told LBC.
She told Sky News that “there is no humanitarian crisis in Gaza” as Israel imposed an unlawful blockade.
Why is this war criminal at the Labour conference? https://t.co/JgoZC2WK2K
— Hamza Yusuf (@Hamza_a96) September 25, 2024
Israeli Ambassador Tzipi Hotovely went on @LBC and incited genocide saying “every school, mosque and second house is a target for Israel”
When challenged about that being “effectively a call for the destruction of all of Gaza” she asked “do you have another solution?” #Lab24 pic.twitter.com/oGsLCilJlS
— Cllr Martin Abrams 🕊️🍉 (@Martin_Abrams) September 25, 2024
However, she has been at this long before 7 October:
In 2022
Tzipi Hotovely said this.
She’s also on record as saying that Jews should be educated to not marry non Jews.
Furthermore, in 2012 she called for annexation of the entire Palestine territory. https://t.co/UK4Y85RmhO
— ℹ️ Not The Torygraph 💚 #SaveOurNHS #ScrapNHSBill (@TweetForTheMany) September 26, 2024
Moreover, in 2017 Hotovely went on a rancid rant in the Knesset. She called Palestinians “thieves of history” in a tirade effectively claiming that Palestinians don’t exist.
After Israel appointed her its ambassador to the UK in 2020, she then went on another bigoted diatribe. This time it was a full on Nakba denial crusade:
Far-right Israeli diplomat @TzipiHotovely was shamefully today invited to attended Labour’s conference, posing with frontbenchers. She previously called the Nakba, where Israel killed 15,000+ Palestinians and displaced 750,000 more, an “Arab lie”.
Hotovely is a holocaust denier. pic.twitter.com/oOVAzWDkmi
— Red Collective (@RedCollectiveUK) September 25, 2024
Unsurprisingly, her Zionist ethnostate-fueled racism hasn’t stopped there either:
I’m a Jew who has married a non-Jew.
Tzipi Hotovely, the Israeli Ambassador to the UK, believes that should be illegal. She thinks that Jews and non-Jews should be kept apart.
That’s 100% racist.
That’s a good enough reason for me, to expel the Israeli Ambassador.
— Joss Sheldon (@JossSheldon) January 6, 2024
With friends like these, Palestine protesters are the enemy
Naturally, none of this has stopped key government cabinet members from cosying up to Golan or Hotovely:
Labour conference: David Lammy meets Israeli politician who called for Palestinians to “starve to death” – as Rachel Reeves poses with ambassador who suggested it was legitimate to destroy every building in Gazahttps://t.co/jPwP8VUZUj
— Imran Mulla (@Imran_posts) September 25, 2024
But then, Starmer’s apartheid and genocide apologists have form on this. In 2021, pro-Palestine activists demonstrated against London School of Economics for hosting Hotovely in a debate. As Labour leader, Starmer lambasted the protests:
This is totally unacceptable.
Intimidation and threats of violence will not be tolerated. https://t.co/tqxw24q4pk
— Keir Starmer (@Keir_Starmer) November 10, 2021
Fast-forward to his Labour government and it’s more of the same shameless apologism for Israel. When a pro-Palestine activist challenged chancellor Rachel Reeves on the government’s arms to Israel, she essentially said that the party has no patience for protest. Still, there was ample time for the LFI vice-chair to snap a piccie with the genocide ambassador:
Thank you so much to our dear friends at @_LFI for such a warm welcome in Liverpool, and for standing in solidarity with the Israeli people. Am Yisrael Chai!! pic.twitter.com/pKwGcpR0gb
— Tzipi Hotovely (@TzipiHotovely) September 25, 2024
With friends like these genocidal war criminals:
Chancellor Rachel Reeves tells Israeli Ambassador to UK Tzipi Hotovely, “In me you will always have a friend, I am proud to stand with you always” during Labour party conference fringe event. https://t.co/Yf4Fiwt5Z8
— Lemma Shehadi (@lemmanour) September 26, 2024
Call for the complete murderous annihilation of Gaza and Palestine and Labour will roll out the red carpet. Demand the government stop sending arms to the genocidal maniacs mercilessly murdering Palestinians? A jumped up Labour councillor (yes, you read that right) will get you in a chokehold and drag you from the conference hall. And all with the support of a vitriol-frenzied crowd.
By contrast, the crowd at LFI’s event:
“She was cheered when she said: If you believe in peace, you need to support Israel’s right to self-defence and Israel’s duty to self-defence.”
The Israeli ambassador was cheered for these words. At the Labour Party Conference. Just let that sink in.
1https://t.co/n8oqfpUFDX pic.twitter.com/HhBwTAjpny
— Phil Jones’ body double – not just a stunt Willy (@Philsbodydouble) September 26, 2024
Of course, it’s all for the so-called two-state solution the Israeli ambassador – among many other officials in Israel – has outright said they don’t want anyway:
Labour Party Conference: Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer appeals for “.. a recommitment to the two state solution”
Sky News website: Israel’s Ambassador to the U.K. Tzipi Hotovely when pressed on the question of Palestinians having their own state [said], “Absolutely no.” pic.twitter.com/hQG7Ro3P7L
— Sangita Myska (@SangitaMyska) September 25, 2024
If there were any lingering doubts that the new Labour government would be anything other than genocide-abetting war criminals themselves, this should finally put that to rest.
Featured image via screengrab
