LONDON: UK Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband on Monday denounced the Israeli government’s actions in Gaza and the occupied West Bank as “a stain on the conscience of the world”.
Delivering a sharp criticism at Labour’s annual conference, Miliband said the threats Israel faces “cannot justify” the actions that have followed.
🇬🇧🇮🇱🇵🇸 UK Foreign Sec. Ed Miliband:
“Suffering is a stain on the conscience of the world, and I want to say to the millions of people in this country and indeed elsewhere, who have been moved and outraged by the plight of the Palestinian people:
WE HEAR YOU… YOU WERE RIGHT!”…
— Mario Nawfal (@MarioNawfal) September 28, 2026
The UK Foreign Secretary received a large round of applause from the conference hall as he condemned the suffering of Palestinians and set out a tougher approach towards the government of Benjamin Netanyahu.
“I want to say to the millions of people in this country, and indeed elsewhere, who have been moved and outraged by the plight of the Palestinian people, we hear you. You were right,” he said.
He said Labour had changed its approach under Andy Burnham’s leadership, promising to challenge Israeli abuses of Palestinians in Gaza and the occupied West Bank.
“And under Andy’s leadership, we have reset our approach. We call out ethnic cleansing by the settler terrorists in the West Bank. We call out the evidence of war crimes in Gaza. We call out Israel’s illegal occupation of Palestine, and we match word with action.”
Miliband also announced measures targeting economic links with illegal Israeli settlements, saying Britain would move beyond statements of condemnation.
“We will ban the import of goods from illegal settlements. We will disrupt the supply lines for British finance, British construction, and British services for illegal settlements.”
His remarks amounted to one of the strongest criticisms of the Netanyahu government from the Labour leadership at the conference.
“And friends, our argument is not with the people of Israel, but with the actions of its government,” he said.
Miliband also warned against efforts to undermine the prospect of a Palestinian state alongside Israel, saying Labour would oppose moves that threaten the two-state solution.
“And when it comes to the attempt to destroy the two-state solution, this party, this movement, this government said we will not let you succeed.”
Miliband also spoke about his parents and the values they passed on to him, referring to what he called a “survivor’s responsibility”.
“My parents didn’t just observe a country fighting for values. They taught me that I have a responsibility to fight for them too,” he said.
He said that responsibility meant leaving the world better for future generations and never standing by in the face of oppression and injustice.
“Not me, not you, not us,” Miliband said, rejecting the idea that people necessarily become more cynical with age.
He promised to defend “Labour values, Britain’s values” throughout his time as foreign secretary.
