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From London, we revisit the Gaza Tribunal, an independent, nongovernmental inquiry into the United Kingdom’s complicity in the Israeli genocide of Palestinians in Gaza. The tribunal, held nearly one year ago, was chaired by our three guests: former Labour Party leader Jeremy Corbyn, Israeli professor of human rights law Neve Gordon and Palestinian legal scholar Shahd Hammouri. Their new book is titled The Gaza Tribunal: Britain’s Complicity in Genocide. We discuss the recent apology from Prime Minister Andy Burnham over the Labour Party’s early support for Israel’s assault on Gaza, the United Kingdom’s crackdown on the Palestine Action protest group under counterterrorism laws, and whether British policymakers will face any accountability for participating in “one of the biggest crimes in humanity.”

This is a rush transcript. Copy may not be in its final form.

AMY GOODMAN: This is Democracy Now!, democracynow.org. I’m Amy Goodman. We’re broadcasting from London, where tonight the documentary about Democracy Now!, Steal This Story, Please!, will be at the Curzon theater, Bloomsbury, in the Bertha DocHouse. We’ll talk more about that later.

But right now the key issue of the day, Britain’s new Prime Minister Andy Burnham recently apologized for the Labour Party’s initial stance on Gaza. On July 20th, Burnham became prime minister, succeeding Keir Starmer, who announced his resignation in June. Burnham is Britain’s seventh prime minister in a decade. He’s the former mayor of Manchester. Shortly before becoming prime minister, Burnham posted this video online.

ANDY BURNHAM: I know many people feel that at the start of Israel’s military action in Gaza, my party didn’t get it right, and I am sorry about that. The response has too often not been good enough. We need to do better. Related Story News | Politics & Elections Keir Starmer Resigns, Leaving Legacy of Persecuting Palestine Activists “It’s hard to remember the last time that a government lost so much support and respect so quickly,” said one activist. By Shireen Akram-Boshar , Truthout June 22, 2026 Truthout Yes, we have taken some important steps. These include recognizing the Palestinian state, placing sanctions on Israeli ministers and imposing waves of sanctions on violent settlers and the organizations that support them. I also fully support the restrictions on arms licenses to make sure that no British bombs or bullets can be used by the IDF in Gaza or in the West Bank. But let’s be honest: The U.K. was too slow to call for a ceasefire, and we must now do more to strengthen our approach. Israel continues to violate the ceasefire agreement, killing innocent Palestinians. We’re seeing a surge in settler violence in the West Bank and East Jerusalem and the continued expansion of illegal settlements, displacing Palestinian communities. And Netanyahu’s government is clearly attempting to make a two-state solution impossible. That’s why we need to do more, which includes looking at further sanctions, both on those involved in the violence in Gaza, but also looking at measures to ban trade in goods with illegal settlements. I, like many people, feel passionately about Gaza, and I will do everything I can to work with international partners to stop the suffering, to ensure the Israeli government adheres to international law, and to keep the prospect of a two-state solution alive, because this is the only way to lasting peace for both Israelis and Palestinians.

ANDY BURNHAM: I know many people feel that at the start of Israel’s military action in Gaza, my party didn’t get it right, and I am sorry about that. The response has too often not been good enough. We need to do better.

Keir Starmer Resigns, Leaving Legacy of Persecuting Palestine Activists

Yes, we have taken some important steps. These include recognizing the Palestinian state, placing sanctions on Israeli ministers and imposing waves of sanctions on violent settlers and the organizations that support them. I also fully support the restrictions on arms licenses to make sure that no British bombs or bullets can be used by the IDF in Gaza or in the West Bank.

But let’s be honest: The U.K. was too slow to call for a ceasefire, and we must now do more to strengthen our approach. Israel continues to violate the ceasefire agreement, killing innocent Palestinians. We’re seeing a surge in settler violence in the West Bank and East Jerusalem and the continued expansion of illegal settlements, displacing Palestinian communities. And Netanyahu’s government is clearly attempting to make a two-state solution impossible.

That’s why we need to do more, which includes looking at further sanctions, both on those involved in the violence in Gaza, but also looking at measures to ban trade in goods with illegal settlements. I, like many people, feel passionately about Gaza, and I will do everything I can to work with international partners to stop the suffering, to ensure the Israeli government adheres to international law, and to keep the prospect of a two-state solution alive, because this is the only way to lasting peace for both Israelis and Palestinians.

AMY GOODMAN: That was Britain’s new prime minister, Andy Burnham.

Last year, an independent Gaza Tribunal was held here in London. It featured testimony from 29 witnesses, including journalists, aid workers, doctors and international law experts. The tribunal concluded the British government was complicit in Israel’s genocide in Gaza by authorizing military, economic and political support for Israel.

The tribunal was held amidst an escalating crackdown in Britain targeting pro-Palestinian activists. Since July of last year, British police have arrested over 3,000 people for expressing support for the group Palestine Action. Last year, the British government declared the group to be a terrorist organization, making support for the group punishable by up to 14 years in prison.

We’re joined right now by the Gaza Tribunal’s three co-chairs. Jeremy Corbyn is a member of the British Parliament who served as Labour Party leader from 2015 to 2020. He has served in the British Parliament since 1983. Neve Gordon is an Israeli political scientist and professor of international law and human rights at Queen Mary University of London, the first director of Physicians for Human Rights-Israel. And Shahd Hammouri is a Palestinian Jordanian lecturer in international law and legal theory at the University of Kent. The three have just published a new book. It’s titled The Gaza Tribunal: Britain’s Complicity in Genocide. We’ll spend the hour with them.

MP Corbyn, it’s an honor to have you back on Democracy Now! Can you respond to the new Prime Minister Andy Burnham, a man you know well over the years, and his apology? What exactly does it mean?

JEREMY CORBYN: Well, it isn’t really an apology. What it says is we got it wrong, which isn’t quite the same thing, and says we’ve got to do better in the future, then goes on to reiterate what we were told in Parliament, that no weapons being sold to Israel could be used, conceivably, to kill people in Gaza. Well, if that is the case, then we should cease all arms trade with Israel, and we should certainly cease being a very important supplier of parts for the F-35 jets, which are still being used to bomb and kill people in Gaza. And so, it’s not enough. It’s not enough also to say we will sanction settlement goods whilst at the same time not sanctioning those companies that work in and out of settlements and in Israel which are supplying parts for other weapons; likewise, the manufacture of weapons by Israel, by Elbit Systems, at factories in Britain. So, he hasn’t gone, as far as I’m concerned, anything like far enough in this.

And the point you made, in addition, is that if he is serious about a complete change of policy, if he’s serious — it’s a big “if” — then why are we criminalizing people who take part in protest in Britain? A number have already been convicted and face long stretches in prison. These are nonviolent direct action protests. And there are also probably 2,500 to 3,000 people who have been arrested for holding a placard, in contravention of the Terrorism Act 2000, which is basically labeling anyone that holds a placard up saying “I support Palestine Action,” calling them a terrorist. This includes people in their eighties and even nineties, retired Anglican clergy people and many others. It’s an absurd situation.

If we are going to be serious about supporting the Palestinian people, and the genocide they’re still going through, we would also stop allowing Israel to use the Royal Air Force base in Akrotiri. We’d stop the sharing of security information with Israel. We would isolate Israel’s military actions, all of which are directed against the Palestinian people. It’s simply not enough.

AMY GOODMAN: You know, just coming into London overnight, I was looking at the news, and it’s completely inundated with the controversial proposal, the plan now to release many people from prison to be able to fill it with other people. And you’re talking about 3,000 people, not clear they would all go to prison. But that’s who we’re talking about clearing the prisons for?

JEREMY CORBYN: We’re talking about serious criminals being released early in order to make space for peaceful protesters who have simply said it’s not on their conscience any longer that they can do nothing about the killing of Palestinian people. It is an absurd situation.

I do think, by the way, there needs to be a reform of our prison system, and prisons should be a place of rehabilitation and education rather than solely of punishment. But then, that’s — maybe it’s a wider issue. But we’re concentrating on this work that we did, which was — and it was wonderful working with Shahd and Neve to do this. And the book is selling well.

AMY GOODMAN: And I want to talk about the tribunal, but one more thing.

AMY GOODMAN: With your position as MP, you’ve........

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