On Anti-Semitism, Labour Is a Cautionary Tale for Democrats

Keir Starmer is trying to do the right thing on Israel, he really is. Whether the leader of Britain’s center-left Labour Party will succeed is another matter, and a question of significance for U.S. Democrats.

In the weeks since Hamas’s Oct. 7 invasion of Israel, Mr. Starmer has emerged as a supporter of the Jewish state’s right to self-defense, by European standards anyway. This includes an Oct. 11 radio interview during which he said Israel “does have that right” to blockade Gaza. In a speech Tuesday, despite hemming and hawing about the dangers to Gazan civilians, he added that he wouldn’t support a cease-fire, as it would leave Hamas free to carry out future attacks.