‘Get your house in order’: UK minister tells Israel to confront pogrom in West Bank

UK health secretary Wes Streeting has told the Israeli government to “get its own house in order” in response to questions about the controversy surrounding chants made by rapper Bob Vylan at Glastonbury Festival. Streeting used the interview with Sky News to call out the “pogrom” of non-Jews in the illegally occupied West Bank by Israeli settlers.

“I wish they’d take the violence of their own citizens towards Palestinians more seriously,” said Streeting speaking to presenter Trevor Phillips, while calling attention to the humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza and settler-led pogroms in the occupied West Bank . The health secretary warned that Israel’s refusal to hold its own citizens accountable was fuelling regional instability.

Streeting’s comments followed the controversy surrounding British rapper Bob Vylan’s Glastonbury Festival chant, “Death to the IDF,” which has been widely condemned by pro-Israel groups and government officials. While he described the chant as “appalling,” Streeting used the occasion to shift focus to Israel’s increasingly extreme domestic conduct.

“Get your own house in order,” said streeting, referencing a recent settler rampage in the West Bank mainly Palestinian Christian village of Kafr Malik where homes were burned, and three Palestinians were shot dead by Israeli soldiers. “All life is sacred,” he added.

His remarks were echoed by a recent Haaretz editorial, which accused senior Israeli politicians of effectively sanctioning pogroms in the occupied West Bank. The editorial described how settler militias, emboldened by years of impunity and political patronage, have turned their violence not only against Palestinians but also against Israeli soldiers sent to enforce the law.

Read: Israeli settler attacks against Palestinians in occupied West Bank rise by 30%: Report

Haaretz concluded that Israeli authorities have created a system of “criminal immunity” for settlers, allowing widespread ethnic cleansing of Palestinian communities through intimidation and terror.

The chant that sparked the debate—“Death to the IDF”—was part of a broader pro-Palestinian set delivered by Vylan, who also led the crowd in chants of “Free, free Palestine” and “From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free.” Glastonbury Festival later issued a statement saying the remarks had “crossed a line,” and Avon and Somerset Police have said they are reviewing footage for possible criminal investigation.

Despite condemnation from both UK and Israeli officials, the chant has been widely adopted at pro-Palestinian protests, with footage emerging from rallies in Australia within 24 hours showing crowds chanting the same slogan. Many activists argue it reflects legitimate rage at the Israeli military’s actions in Gaza, where more than 56,000 Palestinians have been killed since October 2023, the majority of them women and children.

Observers say the uproar also reflects a broader double standard in Western discourse. Critics argue that similar chants against Russia’s military or President Vladimir Putin would not provoke comparable outrage.