Labour MP Kate Osamor has been suspended for a post in which she said that the Gaza conflict should be remembered as genocide.
The Edmonton MP came under fire after she released a statement equating the genocide of Jews with Israel’s offensive in Gaza in a Holocaust Memorial Day post.
“Tomorrow is Holocaust Memorial Day, an international day to remember the six million Jews murdered during the Holocaust, the millions of other people murdered under Nazi persecution of other groups and more recent genocides in Cambodia, Rwanda, Bosnia and now Gaza,” Osamor wrote in a Twitter post.
The reference to Gaza did not go down well with a lot of people. Organisations like the Board of Deputies of British Jews called her comment “disgraceful”.
The MP was eventually suspended by the party. She later issued an apology for the same and said: “I apologise for any offence caused by my reference to the ongoing humanitarian disaster in Gaza as part of that period of remembrance”.
🚨 BREAKING: Left-wing MP Kate Osamor has been ousted from Labour’s parliamentary party because she said Israel is committing genocide in Gaza.
She joins Andy McDonald MP, who was kicked out last year for expressing support for the Palestinian cause. pic.twitter.com/VmyNFJyq7x
— Stats for Lefties 🇵🇸🏳️⚧️ (@LeftieStats) January 28, 2024
The suspension came on the same day the International Court of Justice (ICJ) ordered Israel to prevent genocidal acts in Gaza. However, the court failed to call for a ceasefire.
The case against Israel was brought by South Africa. It had asked the ICJ to order Israel to stop military action in Gaza immediately, adding that the war in Gaza amounts to genocide against Palestinians.
Osamor is not the first MP who has had to apologise for their remarks on Gaza. Tahir Ali, the Birmingham Hall Green MP, had to issue an apology last year after he accused Prime Minister Rishi Sunak of having “the blood of thousands of innocent people on his hands”.
He later put out a statement on Twitter apologising “for the way in which I described the prime minister in my question”.
Hamas’ attack on Israel on October 7 last year is what triggered the latest war in Gaza. Hamas attacked Israel with a barrage of some 2,000–5,000 missiles on October 7 and massacred 1,400 Israelis (mostly civilians) and took over 200 hostages in the surprise assault.
In retaliation, Israel launched a war against Hamas. According to the Hamas-run health ministry in Gaza, more than 25,000 people have been killed since the beginning of Israel’s ground and air assault on the Palestinian territory.
The ICJ has asked Israel to take measures against any genocidal acts. It has also directed Israel to take “immediate and effective measures” to ensure aid to people in Gaza.
Israel has been asked to submit a compliance report to the court within one month. It needs to be noted that the ICJ does not possess the power to enforce its rulings even though its orders are legally binding on the parties involved.
