Jeremy Corbyn to lead ‘Gaza tribunal’ into UK role in Israel’s war

London, United Kingdom – Jeremy Corbyn, the former Labour Party leader, is set to host a two-day event examining the United Kingdom’s role in Israel’s war on Gaza, casting the “tribunal” as an attempt to bring about justice for the Palestinian people.

Francesca Albanese^[1], the UN special rapporteur on the occupied Palestinian territory, is among those expected to contribute, as well as medics who have volunteered in Gaza, such as British surgeon Victoria Rose^[2], aid workers, experts and survivors.

Organisers said Labour MP Richard Burgon and journalists who have reported on the ground and from afar will also participate, including investigative reporter Matt Kennard, who has been tracking the UK’s surveillance flights over Gaza.

On Thursday and Friday, at London’s Church House, Westminster, they will join various panels, with subjects including the UK’s legal responsibilities.

“The public deserves to know the full scale of their government’s complicity in genocide. That is why we are holding The Gaza Tribunal. We will uncover the truth,” the website of the initiative says.

The push follows Corbyn’s failed attempt for an official measure akin to the Iraq Inquiry, by John Chilcot, which investigated the UK’s role in the Iraq war.

On June 4, Corbyn, one of the UK’s most renowned pro-Palestine voices who is launching a new left-wing political party^[3], tabled a bill in the House of Commons calling for an independent inquiry into the UK’s involvement in Israeli military operations in Gaza, including the supply of weapons, surveillance aircraft, and the use of Royal Air Force bases.

That bill, backed by dozens of MPs and supported by more than 20 aid groups, was ultimately blocked by the governing Labour Party.

“Just like Iraq, the government is doing everything it can to protect itself from scrutiny. Just like Iraq, it will not succeed in its attempts to suffocate the truth. We will uncover the full scale of British complicity in genocide,” said Corbyn.

‘Slight but slow-moving shift in opinion in Parliament’

The summit comes as many Britons feel their government is at odds with public opinion.

Hundreds of thousands of protesters have taken to the streets for almost two years to urge Prime Minister Keir Starmer to cut ties with Israel and exert more pressure on his Israeli counterpart to stop the onslaught, described by leading rights groups and scholars^[4] as a genocide against Palestinians.

Recent YouGov polls (PDF^[5]) show the majority of Britons sympathise with Palestinians and a significant number^[6] view Israel’s actions in Gaza as a genocide

Last week, Corbyn told Al Jazeera that there has been a “slight but slow-moving shift in opinion in Parliament because of the numbers of people in Britain that have shown their solidarity with the Palestinian people”.

The UK has sanctioned far-right Israeli ministers and suspended some arms export licences to Israel following a review that found there was a risk certain military exports might be used in violations of international humanitarian law, but UK-made F-35 parts can still end up in Israel via the global spares pool.

Questions have also been raised over the UK’s surveillance flights over Gaza, hundreds of which have reportedly taken off from Cyprus.

The UK says the planes are flown in a bid to locate captives held by Hamas, the group that governs the Gaza Strip.

But “with no parliamentary oversight or public scrutiny, it remains unclear how much British intelligence gathered from these flights has been shared with Israel”, the Action on Armed Violence group, which researched the flights, reported in March.

“Whether these flights have also conducted Target Acquisition over the [occupied Palestinian territory] … in addition to intelligence gathering, surveillance and reconnaissance, remains unknown.”

It said, “Grave concerns remain as to the nature of these flights within the broader context of Israel’s violations of international law and the UK’s continued military collaboration with Israel, including the continued supply of arms such as components for F-35 jets, which have been used in Israel’s widespread bombardment of civilian zones.”

Since October 2023, at least 63,746 people have been killed and 161,245 wounded across Gaza, which is now home to the highest number of child amputees per capita.

Israel’s latest war in the Strip began after Hamas led an incursion into southern Israel, during which 1,139 people were killed and more than 200 taken captive.