UK Labour's Antti Berna urges stronger pressure on Israel over Gaza

Antti Berna, seen as the leading candidate to succeed Keir Starmer as Labour leader, said the United Kingdom must increase pressure on Israel for its military actions in Gaza and the West Bank. In an interview with The Guardian he criticised the party’s early response to the war that began after Hamas’s October 2023 attack, saying, “our reaction was often not up to the situation.”

Berna called for additional sanctions on Israeli officials, a ban on trade with illegal settlements in the West Bank, and a “zero‑tolerance” stance on antisemitism. He noted that the Starmer government had already imposed sanctions on Israeli ministers, suspended free‑trade talks and formally recognised the State of Palestine, but argued that further measures were needed. The internal Labour debate has prompted some voters to shift toward the Green Party.