THE Labour party conference will hold a debate on Palestine as members urge the Prime Minister to acknowledge the genocide in Gaza.
The timing and content of the emergency motion up for debate in Liverpool has not yet been confirmed, after a flurry were lodged by furious delegates.
It comes after Labour’s Conference Arrangement Committee (CAC) rejected 30 motions on Palestine from being debated at the event.
We told how Steve Coogan has led a campaign urging Keir Starmer to acknowledge Israel’s genocide in Gaza.
A large number of protesters descended on the Liverpool venue, calling for justice for Palestine.
The UK Government ruled that Israel is not committing genocide in Gaza – contradicting a mounting body of international experts who say otherwise.
Just two weeks later, a United Nations Commission investigation found that four of the five requirements for an offensive to be considered genocide have been met.
After increasing pressure on Labour officials, it has been confirmed that a debate will now go ahead. Several delegates who took to the stage as the conference kicked off on Sunday demanded the party address the issue.
Speaking in objection to a CAC’s report, which rejected more than 30 motions on Palestine delegates called for the UK to sanction Israel and ban arm sales.
Baroness Pauline Bryan, who objected to her Constituency Labour Party’s (CLP) motion related to Palestine being ruled out, told the conference hall we must “discuss this unfolding genocide”.
Pat Quigley, from Hackney South and Shoreditch, highlighted that the motion her CLP had submitted focused on “Britain arming Israel’s genocidal assault on Gaza”, but that it had been ruled out despite meeting the criteria for motions and the fact that “British-made weaponry is still being used to kill Palestinians”.
Sue Blackwell, from Labour International, representing party members who live abroad, said their motion had been unfairly ruled out but that it called for the party to support the Boycott, Divest and Sanction movement (BDS), which is supported by Palestinian civil society.
Blackwell said that there must be a “two-way arms embargo as part of the sanctions [on Israel] to stop this genocide.”
The delegates’ interventions were met with strong applause on the conference floor.
In response to the delegates, the chair of the CAC Lynne Morris, confirmed that there will be a debate and vote on Palestine, after an unprecedented number of emergency motions were sent to conference by CLPs and affiliates.
There is expected to be a compositing meeting on Sunday 28 September to decide which motions will go to the conference floor. It is not yet known when the debate and vote would be held.
Speaking from the stage, Labour MP Ian Byrne said: “When the Labour leadership denies [there is a genocide], they are wrong and they will be judged by history.
“So my message to the Prime Minister is this: Recognising the State of Palestine is not enough, recognise the genocide and take meaningful action.
“That means no more arms sales. No more surveillance flights. No more military cooperation.”
Ahead of Labour conference beginning, the Palestine Solidarity Campaign led a ten-thousand-person strong march through Liverpool to the conference venue.
