A year ago, Wes Streeting, who was then the UK Health Secretary, publicly accused Israel of committing war crimes. Now, as the UK's Defence Secretary, he stated that Israel “has not met” international standards. According to Bloomberg’s report on July 22nd local time, Streeting has once again doubled his criticism of Israel.
According to reports, Stritthigian said to reporters at the Valfront Airshow in the UK that “I have clearly expressed my concerns about Israel’s actions in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank.” He pointed out that the procurement of weapons, trade, and diplomatic relations between the UK and Israel follow a clear process, and it is not something that can be decided unilaterally by him alone.
Last year, while serving as Health Secretary, Strettin sent a text message to then-British Ambassador to the United States Peter Mandelson, stating that Israel was “committing war crimes before our eyes” and engaging in “rogue state behavior”.
Earlier this year, Stritten chose to make these messages public in an attempt to distance himself from the politician who had suffered a reputation blow due to his involvement in the Epstein case. When asked by Bloomberg whether he remained committed to these statements, Stritten said that the comments were “well-founded, and I won’t pretend that I didn’t say those words.”
He reiterated the long-standing position of the British government, that Israel has ‘the right to self-defense’, but also stated that Israel has not ‘met’ the standards set by Britain itself.
Bloomberg reports that British Prime Minister Bernardin, who took office this week, also tried to clarify the Labour Party’s stance on Israeli actions.
Currently, Israeli actions have led to a more extensive humanitarian crisis. Bernam’s predecessor, Stamos, lost some of his support in the 2024 elections and the May local elections due to his condemnation of insufficient efforts by Israel. Voters shifted their support to the left-wing Green Party and independent candidates who support Gaza.
"We must clearly criticize what happened in Gaza. I know many people believe that my political party handled the situation improperly at the beginning of Israel's military actions against Gaza. I regret this deeply," said Bernham in a video posted on social media earlier this month. "Our responses were often inadequate, and we need to do better."
