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Warsi's resignation may spark opinion and policy shift on Palestine

August 6, 2014 at 12:14 pm

Since the current conflict in Gaza began, nearly 2,000 Palestinians have been killed, most of them civilians. Hundreds of children are among the dead. The targets hit by Israel, which wants to destroy Hamas infrastructure, have included numerous UN schools where refugees were sheltering, and a market place full of shoppers.

This flagrantly disproportionate response has caused something of a shift in public opinion in western countries, particularly in Europe. Traditional supporters of Israel, including the Daily Mail newspaper, have criticised the country’s actions in Gaza. The French foreign minister called for a solution to be imposed from outside. Within the British government, though, the response has been muted. Senior ministers have refused to use the word “disproportionate” with regard to Israel’s actions, merely reiterating their call for an unlimited humanitarian ceasefire.

All that changed yesterday, when Baroness Sayeeda Warsi, a Senior Foreign Office Minister, resigned from the government in protest. She used her Twitter account to announce: “With deep regret I have this morning written to the Prime Minister & tendered my resignation. I can no longer support Govt policy on #Gaza.” In her resignation letter, Warsi, a member of the Conservative Party and a life peer, said the government’s “approach and language during the current crisis in Gaza is morally indefensible, is not in Britain’s national interest and will have a long term detrimental impact on our reputation internationally and domestically.” She also said that the current stance taken by the UK is “not consistent with the rule of law and our long support for international justice,” adding: “The British government can only play a constructive role in solving the Middle East crisis if it is an honest broker and at the moment I do not think it is.”

This was the first resignation on any matter of principle since the coalition government was formed in 2010. Her decision met with a mixed reaction within her own party. The Chancellor, George Osborne, was quick to hit back, saying that her decision was “disappointing and frankly unnecessary”, given that the announcement came very soon after a 72-hour ceasefire was declared. In his response, Prime Minister David Cameron was more forgiving: “I understand your strength of feeling on the current crisis in the Middle East – the situation in Gaza is intolerable.” He reiterated that the government was working for a ceasefire. In a later interview with Channel 4, Warsi accused Cameron of a “mealy-mouthed” response.

Other politicians have been supportive. The Mayor of London, Boris Johnson, a long-time supporter of Israel, said that he would like to see Warsi back in the cabinet as soon as possible, and that the current action in Gaza “is disproportionate, ugly and tragic and will not do Israel any good in the long run.”

The question now is what this will mean for the direction of government, and whether others will follow. In her interview with Channel 4, Baroness Warsi suggested that other resignations could be imminent: “I’ve had a minister in a late-night conversation talking about resignation,” she said. “There is real concern amongst Conservatives on this issue.” The Daily Telegraph’s front page says that several prominent Tory MPs back her position, threatening “a split in the party over Gaza ahead of the election”. It is particularly interesting that there appears to be such a strong debate within the Conservative Party, which traditionally gives its unconditional support to Israel. In recent weeks, an array of Conservative politicians have expressed unease over mounting civilian casualties in Gaza, including former Tory defence ministers Nicholas Soames and Peter Luff, and influential backbencher Margot James, who is parliamentary private secretary to William Hague, the former foreign secretary. In a note to Hague’s successor Philip Hammond that was leaked last week, James wrote: “I ask that the government rethinks policy towards the conflict in Israel and the Palestinian territories.”

It remains to be seen whether this disquiet transforms into further resignations, but it is clear that there are divisions within government over Gaza: both on the public line that it takes in condemning civilian deaths, and on the continued sale of arms to Israel. It is a division that the Labour leader Ed Miliband has exploited, calling for Cameron to “break his silence and say that Israel’s actions have been unjustified and indefensible”.

Nick Clegg, leader of the Liberal Democrats and deputy prime minister, said that it was “no secret that there are differences of opinions and emphases” on Gaza within government. He said that he would like to see minsters being “forceful and outspoken about Israel”, as well as about Hamas. He made it clear that he would not be resigning over the issue, but appeared to back Warsi’s stance when he called for a suspension of arms export licences to Israel.

As was evident during the Iraq War, the resignation of individual politicians does not necessarily have the power to change the direction of policy on its own. However, it does highlight not only the humanitarian crisis abroad, but also our own government’s role or inaction. Whether or not further resignations are to follow is uncertain, but Warsi’s resignation has ensured that the topic is high on the agenda, and could contribute further to a broader shift of opinion on this issue.

The views expressed in this article belong to the author and do not necessarily reflect the editorial policy of Middle East Monitor.