Labour councillors have quit the party following Sir Keir Starmer’s assertion that Israel has ‘the right, indeed the duty, to defend herself’ following last week’s terror attack on the country carried out by Hamas.
Stroud councillor Jessie Hoskin and Oxford City councillors Shaista Aziz and Amar Latif have all left the party because of its stance on the Israel-Palestine conflict.
Sir Keir has repeated the view that Israel has ‘the right to defend herself’ since Hamas carried out its deadly incursion into the country on October 7, and told LBC earlier this week the country was entitled to withhold water and electricity from Gaza – a stance he later appeared to backtrack on.
However, in a statement issued on her Facebook page on Saturday, Cllr Hoskin said the party was ‘no longer consistent with the values of human dignity (and) equality’.
In a joint statement issued on Friday, Cllrs Aziz and Latif said they were ‘deeply disappointed and alarmed’ at Sir Keir’s alleged support for what they called ‘the use of collective punishment against the people of Gaza’.
Sir Keir Starmer has stated – and reiterated – his view this week that Israel has ‘a right to defend herself’ following the brutal terror attack by Hamas last weekend
Smoke rises from the site of an airstrike on Gaza City carried out by Israel on October 15
A view of the devastation following Israeli shelling in Gaza City on October 15. Israel has carried out almost continuous strikes on the region after last week’s Hamas attack
Stroud councillor Jessie Hoskin claimed Labour was ‘supporting war crimes against Palestinian people’
Oxford City councillors Shaista Aziz (left) and Amar Latif (right) have quit Labour after accusing Sir Keir Starmer of condoning the ‘collective punishment’ of Gaza by Israel
In remarks first reported by BBC News, Cllr Hoskin said that she was ‘horrified by the loss of life in Israel and Palestine’ – but that her attempts to muster solidarity among her fellow Labour councillors had been met with silence.
Her statement, published on Saturday morning, added: ‘Two million Palestinians in Gaza, who had nothing to do with Hamas’ actions, should not be punished collectively for it.
‘We are witnessing atrocities. All targeting of civilian life should be condemned.
‘I have not had the support of other Stroud District Labour Councillors in unequivocally distancing myself from comments made by Kier Starmer (sic) and senior Shadow Ministers supporting war crimes against Palestinian people.
‘The Labour Party is no longer consistent with the values of human dignity, equality, a world where everyone is safe and has what they need to thrive that I believe in and will continue to organise for in other areas of my work.
‘I am today resigning from the Labour Party.’
The Oxford representatives’ joint statement, published on X – formerly Twitter – on Friday, expressed solidarity with both Israelis and Palestinians over the ‘horrific killings and atrocities’ inflicted on both in the last week.
‘We are deeply disappointed and alarmed at the Labour Party leader, Keir Starmer’s, comments seeming to condone the use of collective punishment against the people of Gaza in direct contravention of international law,’ it continued.
‘We have sought to seek urgent clarification regarding these statements both from the national and local leadership. Unfortunately as no clarification has been forthcoming we have made a conscious decision to immediately resign the whip and leave the Labour Party.
‘As Gaza faces its most darkest hours…we are appalled at the lack of humanity and regard for the rights of Palestinian people, the upholding and protection of international law and protections of civilians and civilian infrastructure.
‘We are appalled by those who seek to justify the killing of Israeli men, women and children in Hamas terrorist attacks.
‘We are horrified by the rhetoric of Labour politicians saying Israel is justified in cutting off Gaza’s water, food and electricity supply.
‘This is a form of collective punishment – illegal under international law and these statements must be condemned fully and withdrawn immediately.
‘The people of Israel and Palestine and wider region deserve to live in peace and to live lives of safety, dignity and hope.’
Cllr Jessie Hoskin’s resignation statement was posted to Facebook on Saturday morning
Oxford City representatives Aziz and Latif announced their departure from the party via X, formerly known as Twitter, on Friday
Israel has engaged in a relentless campaign of bombarding Gaza in retribution for the Hamas terror attacks of October 7 (pictured: an Israeli strike on October 15 in Rafah, Gaza)
A child cries in hospital in Deir-Al-Balah, Gaza following an Israeli air strike on October 14
Israeli armoured vehicles, including tanks and armoured personnel carriers, are assembling on the country’s border with Gaza ahead of an expected ground assault
Oxford City Council leader Susan Brown said she was ‘disappointed’ by their decision. In a statement, she added: ‘As the world stands on a precipice…we recognise both that Israel has the right to defend itself and rescue hostages, and that it must do so within international law.
‘Violence against civilians is unacceptable and there must be humanitarian access for Gaza to food, water, medicine and electricity.
‘Both Israelis and Palestinians are suffering terribly because of Hamas’ actions, which have set back the cause of peace potentially for many years.
‘We must not allow Hamas to be conflated with the Palestinian people.’
Immediately after Hamas’ deadly incursion into Israel a week ago, Sir Keir Starmer said that the country ‘has a right to defend herself’, and reiterated the view in a statement issued yesterday as he called on the terror group to release Israeli hostages.
But asked by LBC’s Nick Ferrari if that stretched to withholding water and electricity from Gaza – as Israel controls utilities in the occupied Palestinian territory – Sir Keir said: ‘I think that Israel does have that right. It is an ongoing situation, obviously everything should be done within international law but I don’t want to step away from the core principles that Israel has the right to defend herself.’
However, Labour has seemingly softened its stance on Israel’s hardline approach to Gaza in the last two days, following the resignation of the councillors.
Sir Keir’s latest statement, released on social media last night, called for ‘all parties to act in line with international law, including allowing humanitarian access of food, water, electricity and medicines to Gaza, and ensuring safe humanitarian corridors in Gaza for those fleeing violence’.
In a letter to international development minister Andrew Mitchell, shadow secretary Lisa Nandy said: ‘Both Israelis and Palestinians are suffering terribly from Hamas’ actions which have set back the cause of peace. Hamas does not represent the Palestinian people.’
And in an interview with Sky News on Sunday, shadow foreign secretary David Lammy said: ‘Israel has a right to go and get those hostages, it has a right to degrade the military equipment and rockets that have been used against it, to deal with the tunnelling of Hamas, and we must recognise that Israel is facing a huge existential crisis.
‘We must distinguish between Hamas, a terrorist group, and the Palestinian people. And anyone who has seen the faces of bewildered children who have lost their parents, of people fleeing for their lives, of course, international law must prevail.’
In a statement shared on social media on Saturday, Sir Keir called on ‘all parties’ to allow ‘humanitarian access of food, water, electricity and medicines’, seemingly backtracking on earlier comments in which he suggested Israel had the right to withhold essential utilities
Shadow foreign secretary David Lammy has led Labour’s seemingly softened stance on Israel’s response to Hamas, telling Sky News ‘international law must prevail’
Hamas is continuing to carry out strikes on Israel (pictured: Israeli police extinguishing a fire at a site in Sderot that was struck by a rocket fired from the Gaza Strip on October 15)
Smoke rises from the site of an Israeli air strike in the northern part of the Gaza Strip on October 15
Palestinian health officials carry an injured man who was rescued from the rubble of a destroyed building following an Israeli air strike on October 15
Israel has carried out near-continuous shelling of Gaza City following the Hamas attack on October 7 that is thought to have killed some 1,300 Israelis.
Retaliatory attacks by Israeli forces have killed at least 2,670 people in Gaza, a quarter of them children, according to local authorities.
Another 10,000 Palestinians have been wounded, while 1,000 people were missing and believed to be under rubble.
Israel has spent days warning people in the north of Gaza to evacuate to the south as it prepares for a ground assault in order to ‘destroy’ Hamas.
Troops have been carrying out sorties into northern Gaza to gather intelligence on the whereabouts of some 155 hostages believed to have been taken into the country by Hamas on October 7.
Since it issued its warning earlier this week, Israel says 600,000 Palestinians have left north Gaza.
But the unconditional order has been criticised by human rights observers and the World Health Organisation, which said that the clearing out of 22 hospitals treating air strike victims and those with existing health conditions was ‘tantamount to a ‘death sentence’.
The UN has raised alarm that it is not possible to carry out the evacuation in time.
Scotland’s First Minister, Humza Yousaf, whose in-laws are currently trapped in Gaza, has accused Israel of ‘going too far’ in its retribution against Hamas.
He said: ‘Nobody has said that Israel does not have the right to protect yourself from terror.
‘All of us have said that, myself included, but collective punishment cannot be justified.
‘They are going too far, collective punishment cannot be justified. It is innocent men, women, children, babies, with nothing to do with Hamas, who are paying an extraordinary price for those atrocious attacks, that they have nothing to do with.’
The Labour Party declined to comment when approached by MailOnline.
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