LONDON: British MP Jeremy Corbyn has announced an independent “Gaza tribunal” to investigate the UK’s involvement in Israel’s military operation in the territory.
The former Labour Party leader, who now sits in parliament as an independent, has been one of the most prominent voices in the UK against Israel’s war.
He previously called for the government to set up an inquiry into British involvement in the conflict, but his bill was rejected at its second reading earlier this month.
Corbyn said on Thursday he would hold a Gaza tribunal in September because “the public deserves to know the full scale of their government’s complicity in genocide.
“Just like Iraq, the government is doing everything it can to protect itself from scrutiny,” he said, referring to the UK’s ill-fated decision to join the US-led invasion of Iraq in 2003. “Just like Iraq, it will not succeed in its attempts to suffocate the truth.”
The left-wing politician added: “We will bring about justice for the people of Palestine.”
The UK suspended 30 arms export licenses to Israel in September last year in response to its Gaza operations.
But Corbyn and pressure groups say the UK is still supplying other weapons, including parts for F-35 fighter jets.
The Royal Air Force is also accused of flying surveillance flights over Gaza and supplying Israel with intelligence.
UK Foreign Secretary David Lammy told the International Development Committee on Wednesday that he was “very certain” no weapons were being used against civilians and aid workers in Gaza.
Corbyn said the tribunal would hear from expert witnesses including Palestinians in Gaza, journalists, and health and aid workers who have worked in the territory.
Legal experts and UN officials will also be called upon to provide evidence.
The tribunal will begin by outlining the scale of human suffering in Gaza, where more than 58,000 Palestinians have been killed since October 2023.
It will go on to outline Britain’s legal responsibilities under domestic and international law, and then probe Britain’s role in the campaign.
The British government has come under increasing pressure from MPs, including many from its own Labour Party, to take a tougher line against Israel.
Last week, almost 60 Labour MPs sent a letter to Lammy demanding the UK immediately recognize Palestine as a state.
