Jeremy Corbyn: As MP with cross-party support, here's why I’m backing a law to expose UK role in Gaza

In the aftermath of the Iraq War, several attempts were made to establish an inquiry surrounding the conduct of British military operations. The then-government resisted these attempts, but could not prevent the publication of a wide-ranging report led by Sir John Chilcot.

Published in 2016, the report found serious failings within the British government, which ignored the warnings of millions of ordinary people over its disastrous decision to go to war.

History is repeating itself. Today, the death toll in Gaza has exceeded 61,000. At least 110,000 – or one in twenty – people have been injured. It is estimated that 92% of housing units have been destroyed or damaged. Two Israeli officials are now wanted by the International Criminal Court (ICC) for war crimes and crimes against humanity.

Britain has played a highly influential role in Israel’s military operations. A recent report by the British Palestinian Committee has outlined the extent of this relationship, including the sale of weapons, the supply of intelligence and the use of Royal Air Force (RAF) bases in Akrotiri and Dhekelia on the island of Cyprus.

Many of us – inside and outside of Parliament - have repeatedly made objections over the continued sale of F-35 components. We have repeatedly asked for the truth regarding the role of British military bases. We have repeatedly sought answers over the supply of intelligence. And we have repeatedly requested the publication of legal advice behind the government’s definition of genocide, which remains unknown.

Our requests have been met with evasion, obstruction and silence, leaving the public in the dark over the ways in which the responsibilities of government have been discharged.

Transparency and accountability are cornerstones of democracy – and the public deserves to know the full scale of the UK’s complicity in crimes against humanity. That’s why I have called for a full, public, independent inquiry into the UK’s involvement in Israel’s military assault in Gaza.

This inquiry should establish exactly what decisions have been taken, how these decisions have been made, and what consequences they have had. Any meaningful inquiry would require the full co-operation from government ministers involved in decision-making processes since October 2023.

I first made this call in March in a letter to the Prime Minister. Since then, the call has grown. In April, I wrote again to the Prime Minister, this time with the support of 40 Parliamentarians from Labour, the SNP, Plaid Cymru, the Greens, Sinn Fein, and several Independent MPs.

I am yet to receive a response from any government representative. But this issue is not going away – and we are not going anywhere. I intend to place legislation before Parliament calling for an inquiry – and the government will be forced to make a decision. Will they support an inquiry, or will they block it?

Many people believe that the government has taken decisions that have implicated officials in the gravest breaches of international law. These charges will not go away until there is a comprehensive inquiry with the legal power to establish the truth.

Of course, we do not just want the truth.

We are also campaigning for justice. That’s why I continue to support both the efforts of the ICC and the ICJ in bringing about full accountability for the crimes against humanity that are being committed right before our very eyes.

Our proposed inquiry does not hinder that aim. Far from it. We cannot achieve justice unless we know the truth – and international courts should have access to the findings of any inquiry in Britain.

Indeed, we have been calling on the British government to support the work of the ICC and ICJ. Ultimately, government ministers must decide: are they on the side of Israeli impunity or international law?

We continue to campaign because human beings continue to die. We will continue to call for an end to all arms sales to Israel. We will continue to demand sanctions.

Politicians talk about Gaza as a humanitarian crisis. But the truth is: it’s not a humanitarian crisis. It’s a genocide, aided and abetted by governments including our own. We are witnessing the total erasure of Palestine. Our message to our governments is clear: wake up to the gravity of the horrors you have enabled.

Justice comes in many forms, but justice is incomplete without an end to the occupation of Palestine. That is why many of us will keep campaigning in solidarity with the Palestinian people – so that they can live in freedom, dignity and peace.

Jeremy Corbyn is an independent MP for Islington North.

Follow him on X: @jeremycorbyn

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Opinions expressed in this article remain those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of The New Arab, its editorial board or staff.