by Dr. Piyush Mathur

On May 15, British media began circulating the news about the Labour Party’s initiation of the process for Jeremy Corbyn’s replacement as its candidate from London’s Islington North constituency; only two days prior, he had put out a video in which he describes Israel’s ongoing action in the Gaza Strip as a live-streamed genocide. This video address—a reasoned yet stirring speech that falls shy of 5 minutes, and is interspersed with visuals related to claims made in it—was published by the rising British news outlet Double Down News (DDN).

Corbyn led the Labour opposition through September 2015-April 2020, and has been representing Islington North since 1983. Labour had suspended his party membership for 19 days on October 29, 2020 for his refusal to accept fully the findings of an Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) report claiming widespread anti-Semitism inside the party under his leadership. Following the end of his membership suspension, however, the party did not restore his whip—or the mandate to represent the party in the House of Commons; he was thus forced to sit as an independent—which has remained his status since.

EHRC’s investigation of Labour itself was only the 2nd such investigation of a political party since the Commission came into effect in October 2007; the first such investigation was that of the British National Party (BNP) in 2009 relating to its erstwhile White-only official policy as a criterion for membership. On May 12, 2020, however, EHRC had refused to investigate the Conservative Party in reference to documented accusations of discrimination against Muslims brought on by the Muslim Council of Britain (MCB).

There was a long backdrop to Corbyn that had played a part in EHRC’s decision to investigate Labour under his leadership: A key component of it was his long-standing support for the Palestinian cause—which he had tended to mount on the grounds of anti-imperialism and anti-discrimination. His support for the Palestinian cause thus calls into question the historical role of the British empire itself—especially within the context of the creation of the Jewish State of Israel.

For Labour to initiate the process for Corbyn’s replacement within two days of his video address referring to Israel’s action in Palestine as a ‘genocide’ thus has an added flavour to it—even though he had been banned from Labour ticket in March 2023 itself.

Key contents of Corbyn’s video address published by DDN

In his video address, Corbyn accuses Israel of intentional destruction and occupation, painting a grim picture of the humanitarian catastrophe unfolding in the Gaza Strip. He notes the current magnitude of casualties there—‘34,000 people killed including 15,000 children’—and underscores the severe breaches of international law by Israel, citing violations of the United Nations Security Council, the General Assembly, the International Court of Justice, and the Fourth Geneva Convention.

Sharing his personal memories of Rafah (a town he has visited multiple times), he recounts the tragic story of Tom Hurndall, a young British photographer fatally shot by an Israeli soldier while trying to protect children during an Israel Defence Forces (IDF) demolition. He describes Rafah as a small town that was anyway under-resourced now overwhelmed with a million desperate people, struggling to survive under relentless bombardment.

The speech also underscores the preventable medical challenges—such as diarrhea and dehydration—that have been killing Gazans owing to the lack of clean water and medical supplies; the tragic irony to this situation, Corbyn points out, is that ‘just a few kilometers away’ (in Israel, that is) water, food, medicine, and other amenities are available aplenty.

Corbyn identifies ‘the illegal occupation of West Bank’ and ‘the illegal bombardment of civilian targets in Gaza’—aside from the tens of thousands already dead—as the main issues requiring focus.

Criticizing the political dynamics of Western Europe and North America, along with mainstream media, for enabling Israel’s actions, Corbyn acknowledges the horror of events like those on October 7, 2023 and hostage situations; however, he argues that the mass killing of 34,000 people and counting serves no justice and fails to bring back the deceased.

Noting a significant rise in global demonstrations against Israel’s war despite efforts by European and North American governments to stifle protests, he identifies the presence of a global movement advocating for justice for Palestinian—with numerous national protests in London and university encampments across the UK and the USA.

A winner of the Gandhi International Peace Award, Corbyn claims that this global movement, having already seen active participation by many Jews, is driven by hope rather than hate, as people from diverse backgrounds and beliefs unite to call for peace in Palestine. He also stresses the importance of acknowledging the voices within Israel that oppose that country’s occupation and bombardment of Palestine.

Quoting some powerful lines from Palestinian poet Rafaat Alareer, Corbyn underscores the enduring spirit and hope of the Palestinian people at the end of his address.

Concluding remarks

At one very early point in this short address, Corbyn contrasts the responses of different world leaders—highlighting the US President Biden’s announcement to withhold further arms shipments to Israel if the bombardment of Rafah continues, and condemning British Foreign Secretary Lord Cameron’s decision to continue supplying lethal weapons to Israel as 'a disgrace’. Only a day after his address, though, US-based CNN was reporting that the Biden administration had initiated the process to approve a $1 billion arms deal for Israel.

Corbyn’s video address (May 13, 2024) could be accessed on DDN’s YouTube channel on this URL: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NwCOlZ1Be0M

For Dr. Piyush Mathur’s list of selected video material on the Israel-Palestine history, click here.

External references

Atwood, Kylie (May 14, 2024) ‘Biden administration begins lengthy process to approve new $1 billion arms deal for Israel’ (Downloaded from the following URL on May 15, 2024: https://edition.cnn.com/2024/05/14/politics/biden-administration-new-israel-arms-deal/index.html)

Brown, Faye (May 15, 2024) ‘Labour launches selection process to replace Jeremy Corbyn at general election’ Sky News (Downloaded from the following URL on May 15, 2024: https://news.sky.com/story/labour-launches-selection-process-to-replace-jeremy-corbyn-at-general-election-13136547)

Brown, Faye (March 29, 2023) ‘Jeremy Corbyn accuses Labour of “shameful attack” after he is blocked from standing for party’ Sky News (Downloaded from the following URL on May 15, 2024: https://news.sky.com/story/jeremy-corbyn-formally-blocked-from-running-as-a-labour-mp-at-next-election-12844035)

Double Down News (May 14, 2024) ‘Jeremy Corbyn on Rafah: "We're live-streaming a Genocide"’ (Downloaded from the following URL on May 14, 2024: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NwCOlZ1Be0M)

Double Down News (May 14, 2024) ‘Jeremy Corbyn on Rafah: "We're live-streaming Genocide"' (Downloaded from the following URL on May 14, 2024: https://www.doubledown.news/watch/2024/may/13/jeremy-corbyn-on-rafah-were-live-streaming-a-genocide)

United Nations General Assembly (November 29, 1947) ‘Resolution adopted on the Report of the Ad Hoc Committee on the Palestinian Question’ (UN Resolution 181) (Portable Document Format accessed on May 15, 2024 from the following URL: https://statelesshistories.org/assets/uploads/documents/UN-Resolution-181-Partition-of-Palestine-1947.pdf)