A week ago the Labour Party removed the phrase “end apartheid” from the advertised title of a Palestine Solidarity Campaign event at its conference.

Last Sunday, leader Keir Starmer said there was “no justification” for the attack on Israel. He ridiculously claimed that Hamas had deliberately pushed back the prospect of a peace deal.

As always, Labour is lining up with Israel. But Starmer is not alone. Bernie Sanders in the US tweeted, “I absolutely condemn the horrifying attack on Israel by Hamas and Islamic Jihad. There is no justification for this violence, and innocent people on both sides will suffer hugely because of it.”

That is direct support for Israel and trampling on justice for the Palestinians. Jeremy Corbyn was far too even-handed when he tweeted, “The unfolding events in Israel and Palestine are deeply alarming. We need an immediate ceasefire and urgent de-escalation.”

That was just as Hamas fighters were defeating their oppressors. Corbyn added, “Ending the occupation is the only means of achieving a just and lasting peace.”

That brought down the wrath of all the pro-imperialists on him anyway. It’s time to stand up for Palestinian fightback, not to be defensive.

Palestine solidarity is global  

Across the world protesters have filled the streets in solidarity with the Palestinian people.

In the Yemeni capital, Sana’a, tens of thousands joined a demonstration that occupied two carriageways and stretched as far as the eye could see. Protesters there burned US and Israeli flags, and chanted anti‑imperialist slogans.

In Istanbul, in Turkey, there was a massive display of solidarity. The march is putting pressure on the government of Recep Tayyip Erdogan, which has so far vowed to stay “neutral” on Palestine.

In Beirut, Lebanon, supporters of the Hezbollah movement echoed Hamas’s call for resistance.

Hundreds of people in Australia marched in a show of support for Palestine. The rally in Sydney urged the government to cut ties with Israel.

Activist Fahad Ali said, “We’ve suffered 75 years of dispossession, denied our rights to life and liberty, under an ever-worsening occupation by a colonial regime that has perpetrated every kind of atrocity upon us.”