Despite the war-crime arrest warrants for Israeli government figures over the atrocities of the Gaza genocide, Keir Starmer’s Labour Party government has once again hosted high-profile military figures from Israel in the UK, as if nothing has happened in the last 15 months. This is a grave insult to the memories of the 18,000 children Israel has murdered in Gaza. Nonetheless, the mainstream media has remained silent about the latest visit of likely war criminals to Britain.
As Declassified UK reported, the Israeli military delegation visiting the Ministry of Defence included Major General Oded Basyuk, who is the head of the Israeli occupation forces’ Operations Directorate. As Declassified explained:
Basyuk was on the ground in Gaza during Israel’s most recent onslaught and presided over decision-making on last year’s offensive in southern Lebanon.
Where the hell is the mainstream media?
Despite the international arrest warrants for top-level Israeli politicians, and the British government’s participation in their genocide, the mainstream media appears to have no interest in the UK allowing probable war criminals to walk its shores. Nor was it interested when Israel’s army chief visited in 2024, or when foreign secretary David Lammy went to schmooze with controversial political figures in Jerusalem.
With the billionaire-owned media covering for Israel’s genocidal war criminals, independent media like Declassified has stepped in to provide essential information about Britain’s involvement in the atrocities.
Just recently, for example, it revealed the BBC‘s absolute failure to inform the public about this. And the public broadcaster hasn’t only failed to counter the propaganda of the corporate media. Because it has also exhibited clear pro-Israel bias itself in its reporting during the genocide in Gaza, particularly online. And the police have had to prevent protests outside the BBC‘s headquarters in London, facing a significant backlash for doing so.
In the absence of a challenge from the mainstream media, Declassified did the job journalists should be doing. It questioned Basyuk about the International Criminal Court (ICC) arrest warrants, asking:
Are you worried about the ICC investigating you for war crimes? Are you a war criminal?
Keir Starmer's government invited an Israeli army delegation for a secret meeting with the MoD yesterday.
Declassified exposed the meeting and confronted the IDF officers on the streets of London.
24 hours later this still hasn't been mentioned once in the UK press👇 pic.twitter.com/Z4abcHKHhe
— John McEvoy (@jmcevoy_2) January 23, 2025
The UK national media won't be covering the visit to London of this Israeli general because they'll be too busy cutting & pasting MoD press releases on the Russian spy ship. You can guarantee this like a law of physics.https://t.co/6FFW5RTjSs
— Mark Curtis (@markcurtis30) January 23, 2025
As journalist Richard Sanders said:
This is absolutely standard, obvious journalism to be doing in the face of war crimes and accusations of genocide.
This is absolutely standard, obvious journalism to be doing in the face of war crimes and accusations of genocide.
Why is Declassified the only one doing it? https://t.co/WYLosHjWkn
— Richard Sanders (@PulaRJS) January 23, 2025
Resistance is necessary
Palestine Action has long sought to shut down UK operations that have links to Israel and its crimes. And there are currently numerous political prisoners in jail as a result of their resistance to British complicity in human rights violations.
But as Declassified‘s John McEvoy has revealed, the action protesters have taken has been completely justifiable and necessary. Because the arms factories they’ve been targeting “have been sending supplies to Israel throughout the Gaza genocide”.
👉NEW VIDEO — The shocking evidence Starmer doesn't want you to see
Declassified journalist @jmcevoy_2 reveals how the arms factories hit by pro-Palestine protests have been sending supplies to Israel throughout the Gaza genocide.https://t.co/GHoGXdSorz
— Declassified UK (@declassifiedUK) January 23, 2025
Keir Starmer’s government has absolutely followed his Conservative predecessors’ shameless support for Israeli crimes. Starmer is a national embarrassment, and has become an overtly racist spokesperson for genocidal war criminals.
The RAF Akrotiri base in Cyprus, meanwhile, has supported covert US flights to occupied Palestine, sent dozens of British warplanes to both Israel and Lebanon, and facilitated British spy flights and the passing of intelligence from officers on the ground to Israel.
As Declassified co-founder Matt Kennard has insisted, these are the actions of “a country which is participating” in Israel’s genocide – “a direct participant”.
Declassified has been doing its part in challenging this despicable situation, as have the Canary and other independent outlets. But the mainstream media has exposed itself as the immoral cesspit of corporate propaganda that it is. Resisting its stranglehold over Britain is an absolute moral imperative.
Featured image via the Canary
