Polly Billington says she has campaigned for Palestine since the 1980s; so why is she doing just 22% of what she could to advocate for justice now that she’s an MP? A genocide is taking place and the situation couldn’t be more urgent.

It’s very easy for our political representatives to depict themselves as being on the side of the people, championing crucial causes and ‘fighting the good fight’ without it being the case. This is something I learned whilst campaigning against cuts to local NHS services; it’s possible for MPs and councillors to evade taking any of the practical steps to bring about change whilst creating the impression that they are taking action.

My MP Polly Billington has not replied to many of the emails I have sent to her, but she did reply to one regarding the horrific situation in Gaza. It did not condemn Israel’s aggression (or the United States for funding it); in fact, it used the passive voice to describe the murder of Palestinians. The gap between her actions and the tone of her email led me to conclude that Polly Billington is weak on Palestine, but she wishes to appear to be a strong advocate for a Palestinian state. I wonder how many of the new intake of Labour MPs are behaving in a similar fashion. What follows is the recent email exchange between myself and Ms Billington.

Polly Billington’s Record on Palestine

First though, let’s look at Polly Billington’s record on Palestine. I looked at the actions Polly has taken compared with more vocal MPs such as Clive Lewis and Zarah Sultana (Lab), Layla Moran (Lib Dem), Carla Denyer (Green) and Jeremy Corbyn and Ayoub Khan (Ind). The result shows that Billington has taken only 4 actions out of a possible 18, which comes to 22% of the total.

The emails between myself and Polly Billington

Fri 8 Nov, 12:54

Dear Carly Jeffrey,

Thank you for taking the time to write to me about the horrific events taking place in the Middle East, and for sharing your own views with me.

I have been campaigning for a two-state solution all my adult life, after first being awakened to the horrors and injustices of this conflict in the late 80s. I want to see an immediate stop to the fighting, and a ceasefire that lasts and that is observed by all sides. I also believe that there will be no lasting peace without a diplomatic process that delivers a two-state solution, with a safe and secure Israel alongside a viable Palestinian state.

As this devastating and escalating conflict continues, my highest foreign policy priority is to push for stronger international action to end this appalling conflict, secure the release of the remaining hostages, and begin the difficult work of securing the two-state solution that is needed now more than ever to bring long-term peace and stability to the region. I am pleased that one of Foreign Secretary David Lammy’s first acts in his new role was to travel to the Middle East to meet with Prime Minister Netanyahu of Israel and Prime Minister Abbas of the Palestinian Authority, and to urge Prime Minister Netanyahu to commit to an immediate ceasefire in Gaza and the release of all hostages.

That pressure from the UK and our allies must continue and intensify, and it is deeply concerning that the conflict has now spilled over into Lebanon, following months of mounting violent escalation between Israel and Hezbollah. I am strongly opposed to Israel’s ground and air assault in Lebanon and support Keir Starmer’s calls for an immediate ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah, which he made in his address to the UN General Assembly in September.

In recent months, the UN has warned that famine in Gaza is imminent, with half the population expected to face catastrophic levels of hunger – a manmade disaster which requires urgent and coordinated action from the international community to step up aid deliveries. That is why David Lammy has acted to reinstate funding for UNWRA and has also announced a new £5.5 million aid package for Gaza and a renewed push for increases in the amount of aid being allowed into the territory. It is unacceptable that Israel continues to block the passage of aid into Gaza, and it is clear to me that the international community needs to take stronger action to insist humanitarian aid reaches those who desperately need it.

It is shocking that the Israeli Knesset has passed a law that could see UNRWA banned from operating in Israel and occupied East Jerusalem, an issue I raised in the House and which the government has confirmed they are staunchly opposed to.

Labour is committed to standing firm in our support for the international community’s official investigations into alleged breaches of international law in Israel and Gaza, such as the ongoing cases being heard by the International Court of Justice (ICJ) and the International Criminal Court (ICC), so that all the parties to this brutal conflict can be held to account – whether that be Israel, Hamas, or any other actor.

I will always support Israel’s sovereign right to defend itself and to keep its citizens safe. However, given the immense suffering that continues to unfold in Gaza, it is essential that where there is a risk of British weapons being used to commit breaches of international law, such exports should be suspended. That’s why after a comprehensive review David Lammy has taken the decision, in line with the UK’s legal obligations, to suspend 30 out of 350 arms export licences to Israel, affecting equipment such as parts for fighter jets, helicopters and drones, where there was a risk of them being used to harm civilians in Gaza. That is the law, and it should be applied equally to all countries without fear or favour, including Israel.

Now that the UK has taken that position, I want to see the government do all it can to urge our allies, particularly the United States, to cease similar arms exports where there is a risk they might be used to commit war crimes in Gaza or Lebanon, and I have asked the government in parliament what action they are taking in this regard.  

But above all else, what we need most urgently is an immediate and sustainable humanitarian ceasefire and the release of all hostages. As Labour’s manifesto stated:

Long-term peace and security in the Middle East will be an immediate focus. Labour will continue to push for an immediate ceasefire, the release of all hostages, the upholding of international law, and a rapid increase of aid into Gaza. Palestinian statehood is the inalienable right of the Palestinian people. It is not in the gift of any neighbour and is also essential to the long-term security of Israel. We are committed to recognising a Palestinian state as a contribution to a renewed peace process which results in a two-state solution with a safe and secure Israel alongside a viable and sovereign Palestinian state. 
We owe it to the children being born today in Israel, Palestine, and Lebanon to do everything we can to ensure that the cycle of violence, hatred, and fear does not become their inheritance too. That is what Labour in government is committed to delivering with our international partners, and that is the position I will do all I can to support as the newly elected MP for East Thanet. At present, I am deeply concerned that the current level of pressure from the international community simply isn’t working, which means it is urgent the UK and our allies work together to bring even more pressure to end this conflict.

The final issue I want to address is one closer to home, and that is the sickening wave of antisemitism and Islamophobia that has swept Britain as the conflict in Gaza has unfolded, with the latest statistics showing a shocking rise in both forms of hate crime. I am deeply troubled to have received reports directly from constituents who have been the victim of antisemitism and Islamophobia. That is completely unacceptable, and it is therefore essential that we all stand together in opposition to racism, intolerance, and prejudice in whatever form it comes.

At the outset of this crisis, Keir Starmer said in Parliament that “every MP has a duty to work in their constituency to say no to this hate and to ensure that every British Jew and every British Muslim knows they can live their life free from fear and free from discrimination here in their own country”.

That is a duty I take extremely seriously, and I would urge anyone who sees or experiences any incidents of either to tell me and tell the police so we can take the necessary action to root it out and ensure those responsible face the consequences of their actions.

Thank you once again for writing to me, and please do not hesitate to get back in touch if there are any further points you would like to raise.

Best wishes,

Polly Billington MP
Labour MP for East Thanet

———

8 Nov 2024, 16:56

Hello Ms Billington,

Thank you for replying.

It is encouraging to hear that you support the investigations of the ICJ and ICC, support the need for a Palestinian state, that you condemn the Knesset’s ban on UNRWA, that you acknowledge that the famine in Gaza is man-made (by Israel), and that you back a ceasefire.

However, I notice that your comments are lengthy but only cover a fraction of the ground that they could. There are a range of levers that could be pulled and a range of ways in which you could use your voice as an MP to put pressure on the Labour government to do more, and to influence the discourse on Israel’s war on the Palestinian people and its neighbours. Your comments to not appear to deviate from a formula used many Labour and Conservative MPs that goes something like this:

– Vocally opposing the blocking of aid into Gaza, but never voicing opposition to the aggression itself. The Israeli strikes on hospitals and schools, and the massacre and maiming of tens of thousands of civilians gets presented as regrettable but not as collective punishment, or as a war crime by Israel.

– Urging for a ceasefire but never stipulating any conditions or any political consequences for Israel if they do not stop the daily carnage. This amounts to calling for something that every party in the situation claims to want, but never acknowledging that one party (Netanyahu/Israel) may not want a ceasefire at all, and maintaining the pretence that saying a ceasefire is needed is taking action and is all that can be done, when all of us have seen what levers can be used when it suits – as in the case of Ukraine. Any mention of sanctions, withdrawal of diplomacy, or severing of the many ties between Israel and the UK are omitted in an attempt to give the impression that the UK has no bargaining chips. Israel remaining a key ally to the UK, despite mass slaughter, war crimes, ethnic cleansing, apartheid, occupation and what can only be seen as a genocide – this is never challenged.

– A framing of the debate is used whereby the only two options are either continued military aggression or a two-state solution. A one-state solution with all citizens living side by side with equal rights gets erased entirely, even though partition has backfired terribly in other nations and the end of apartheid in South Africa has been achieved via a one-state solution. If you have been campaigning for a two-state solution since the 1980s, you will be aware that many in the region have had no faith in it for more than a decade, with the idea regarded by many as absurd, unlikely or impossible due to the fact that the West Bank has been turned into a ‘Swiss cheese’ so dominated with Israeli settlements, leaving the small Palestinian enclaves totally cantonised and isolated from each other. Any attempt to force those settlers to move or to live under Palestinian rule seems likely to start yet more violence. Other factors such as successive Israeli governments openly stating that they will never allow a Palestinian state, and the problem of right to return are important factors in why some regard a one-state solution, i.e., a state shared by all citizens currently living there under a democratic system without apartheid, as a better proposal. It’s my personal belief that the remedy should be decided by the inhabitants of Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territories by democratic means, if possible. I do not think that it should be the role of anyone in the UK or the US to rule out possible solutions; and yet the Labour party does this repeatedly and is diligent in making everything conditional on a two-state solution in every statement it makes on the topic.

– The one action that would decisively end the violence in Israel/Palestine and surrounding nations is never uttered – this being the USA withdrawing its constant supply of blank cheques to Israel. Israel’s economy is not large enough to sustain the constant military domination, surveillance and intelligence operations of Palestinians (not to mention its global PR efforts) without funding from the US. The US government could end the occupation, apartheid, and ongoing slaughter by Israel by halting its funding. Israel’s leaders would then have to make peace settlement with, and live alongside Palestinians and the nations surrounding it. This is never mentioned by the bulk of Labour’s politicians.

– Working with ‘international partners’ is referenced frequently, but the constant breaking of UN resolutions by Israel is not, and the USA’s enormous role in perpetuating the situation is similarly omitted. The UK has an important role, given our historical culpability, and we should act whether or not other nations are doing the same.

– Lammy’s cancellation of 30 arms licences is presented as a significant action, but it is only 30 out of 350 and the Foreign Secretary declined to state that war crimes are being committed by Israel.

– The passive voice is used. The ‘conflict has spilled over into Lebanon’; ‘immense suffering that continues to unfold in Gaza’. Who is inflicting the suffering? Who booby-trapped devices to explode in public spaces, who is shelling Lebanese villages? 

– Exerting ‘pressure’ is rightly suggested as a course of action, but the nature of the pressure is either unspecified, or seems to be the absolute bare minimum masquerading as if it is all that can be done, when it is in fact far from that.

I intend to begin keeping records of politicians and what steps they have personally taken to influence the situation with regard to Palestinians, and to compare the actions of MPs such as yourself with MPs such as Zarah Sultana, Carla Denyer, Clive Lewis, Jeremy Corbyn, Layla Moran and Ayoub Khan.

To help me with this, I would be grateful if you could confirm whether the information I’ve gleaned about you is correct:

MP Scorecard, Palestine. Actions taken or not taken by the MP:	Polly Billington (Lab) East Thanet
Has called for a ceasefire	Yes
Has called to end restrictions on the flow of aid into Gaza	Yes
Supports the ICC and ICJ investigations	Yes
Has called for a full arms embargo on Israel	No
Has called for sanctions on Israel	No
Supports BDS (Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions)	No
Supports the establishment of a Palestinian state	Yes
Has acknowledged that Israel is committing a genocide or a ‘plausible genocide’	No
Has condemned genocidal language from Israel’s leaders and military	No
Voted for an immediate ceasefire in Parliamentary vote on 16 Nov 2023*	n/a
Has demanded an end to Israeli occupation of Gaza and the West Bank	No
Acknowledges the potential for two-state and one-state solutions	No
Has acknowledged that ethnic cleansing is taking place	No
Has called for equal rights of all citizens in Israel/Palestine	No
Has called for the expulsion of the far-right Israeli ambassador Tzipi Hotovely	No
Has acknowledged or asked questions about the UK military support given to Israeli military operations (via the UK’s Cyprus airbase)	No
Has condemned Israel’s actions in Lebanon	No
Signed EDM 117 calling for cessation of arms, tech and components to Israel and for no new arms licenses to be approved (Dec 2023). Signed by 90 MPs.*	n/a
Has acknowledged that lies were told about mass rape and the killing of babies by Hamas on Oct 7th	No
Has acknowledged the historical context including the Nakba and decades of Israeli attacks, occupation and apartheid	No

Please do let me know if any of this is incorrect so I can make amendments to it.

Kind Regards

Your constituent,

Carly Jeffrey

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As mentioned before, there has been no reply from Polly Billington’s office to my email of November 8th 2024 (16 days ago) inviting her to amend the ‘scorecard’ outlining her actions in regard to Palestine.

Another test is coming for Polly. In a few days’ time, on November 29th, there will be a second reading of MP Shockat Adam’s bill calling for the recognition of a Palestinian state. So far, only ten MPs have sponsored the bill – including one Labour MP (Kim Johnson). Will Polly Billington, who says she has campaigned for this ‘all her adult life’, sponsor the bill? Will she make an excuse for not supporting it? Or will she adopt the ‘submarine’ modus operandi of Theresa May and submerge until it has blown over?

Pressuring the government to do more

Everyone should write to their Labour MPs insisting the maximum is done to stop the slaughter and the deliberate starvation in Gaza. The UK should be doing ALL it can to disrupt Israel’s war crimes, and if you have a Labour MP, you can use the template I’ve created to make a comparison of their actions, and reveal if they are truly doing all they can with the platform they have.

Other ways to take action

There are many! Here are a few suggestions:

1. Join Palestine Solidarity Campaign and take part in their actions and protests.
2. Write to the Palestine Action activists who have been imprisoned for taking direct action against the arms manufacturers and the supply chain that assist Israel in their mass murder of civilians.
3. Subscribe to the news outlets (mostly independent) that accurately cover Israel’s war on Gaza, the West Bank and Lebanon – Mondoweiss; Democracy Now; Declassified UK; Middle East Eye; MintPress News, Middle East Monitor; The Electronic Intifada; Zeteo; Al Jazeera and The Cradle.
4. Donate to organisations providing relief on the ground such as UNRWA, Gaza Kinder Relief (medical evacuations for children), Reviving Gaza (supplying clean water to displaced families in Gaza), Gaza Sunbirds, Medical Aid for Palestinans or MSF.
5. Boycott Israeli produce and companies that are part of the BDS boycott list.