Labour Has Consulted US Over Its Gaza Approach

Labour has consulted with US government figures over its approach to Gaza, and has been influenced by the US position, PoliticsHome understands.

At a regular meeting of the Parliamentary Labour Party on Monday night, Labour leader Keir Starmer told MPs he is in regular contact with Jake Sullivan, the US National Security Adviser. Senior Labour and US diplomatic figures are also understood to have discussed how to address the violence in Gaza. 

Labour has faced continued criticism, including from many of its own MPs and supporters, for not calling for a ceasefire in the Israel-Hamas conflict that escalated after Hamas killed 1,200 people in a terrorist attack on Israel on 7 October. Retaliatory strikes by Israel have since killed 23,210 in Gaza, according to the Hamas-run Palestinian health ministry. 

PoliticsHome understands the party's current stance of seeking a "humanitarian truce" with a view to work towards a "sustainable ceasefire" between Israel and Hamas has been specifically devised to mirror the US position following discussions with US figures. It is also believed that Labour sees this as a way of conveying the impression it is a government-in-waiting by factoring in the positions of key international players. 

During a visit in South Carolina on Monday, US president Joe Biden said he had "been quietly working with the Israeli government to get them to reduce and significantly get [Israel's military presence] out of Gaza". US secretary of state Anthony Blinken has also been dispatched to Israel this week in an attempt to de-escalate the conflict and prevent it becoming a regional war. 

Despite this, the US vetoed a resolution for a ceasefire at the UN in December – with US deputy ambassador Robert Wood stating the