Labor Conference to Vote on Sanctions Against “Israel” and Recognition of Gaza Genocide

By Staff, MEE

Delegates at the UK Labor Party’s annual conference in Liverpool are set to vote Monday on an emergency motion declaring that “Israel” is committing genocide in Gaza and demanding a full arms embargo and comprehensive sanctions.

The motion, titled Peace in the Middle East 2, follows the government’s historic recognition of the State of Palestine last week and could mark a major shift in official policy if adopted.

Middle East Minister Hamish Falconer spoke against the motion on Sunday, warning that such a move could “threaten elements of the peace process in the Middle East”. Another motion, tabled alongside it, is understood to broadly support Labor’s existing policy on “Israel”.

If passed, the motion would commit the Labor conference to endorsing the findings of a recent UN Commission of Inquiry report that concluded “Israel” is committing genocide in Gaza. It also calls on the government to “apply sanctions to put pressure on the Israeli government to respect international law” and to ensure that UK entities are not complicit in “aiding or assisting the genocide”.

Ben Jamal, director of the Palestine Solidarity Campaign [PSC], told Middle East Eye that the motion “would represent a demand from the Labor conference for a seismic shift in government policy”. The PSC said the motion, which received strong trade union backing, was endorsed as an emergency item after party officials blocked more than 30 Palestine-related motions earlier this month.

Labor MP Richard Burgon, speaking at a PSC-organized fringe event on Sunday, said his Leeds East constituency party was among those that submitted the motion. “I am sick to death of hearing ministers saying what awful things they've seen on television,” Burgon said, calling instead for immediate sanctions on “Israel” to “stop the genocide”.

Last week, it emerged that most motions on Palestine were rejected for not addressing “new issues” beyond the party’s 2025 National Policy Framework [NPF] report, published in early August. The PSC countered that many of the motions focused on developments after the NPF’s release and demanded policies not covered in it — including an end to all arms trade and military cooperation with “Israel”.

Labor MP Clive Lewis accused the party leadership of “silencing debate on ‘Israel’s’ genocide in Gaza”.

In September, the UK government suspended 30 of 350 arms export licenses to “Israel” after a review found a clear risk that British-made weapons could be used in violation of international humanitarian law. However, licenses for components used in F-35 fighter jets — deployed in Gaza — were excluded from the suspension.

Recent polling shows that 72 percent of Labor’s 2024 voters support a full arms embargo on “Israel”. The vote comes amid escalating diplomatic tension between London and Tel Aviv: earlier this month, the UK government barred “Israeli” officials from attending the country’s largest arms trade exhibition.