Ed Miliband, the new Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs in Burnham’s cabinet, was shamed for taking part in a ‘constructive’ call with Israeli minister Gideon Sa’ar and for Miliband’s ongoing denial of the Gaza holocaust.
Today I had a frank and constructive first call with Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar
pic.twitter.com/48pIdbvwXt
— Ed Miliband (@Ed_Miliband) August 11, 2026
Miliband said that he told Israel it “must crack down on settler violence and must immediately end blockages on aid into Gaza,” but continued to deny the genocide in Gaza.
Miliband: refusal to call it a genocide
Both Zack Polanski and Zarah Sultana sharply rebuked Miliband for failing to call the genocide in Gaza being perpetuated by Israel with the West’s backing.
He preferred to call it a “dire humanitarian crisis.”
Genocide.
Call it what it is and stop selling them arms licences. https://t.co/WpXHLikPDY
— Zack Polanski (@ZackPolanski) August 11, 2026
“Dire humanitarian situation in Gaza”?
It’s a genocide, Ed. https://t.co/EfI5S13x1W
— Zarah Sultana MP (@zarahsultana) August 11, 2026
British Palestinian journalist Hamza Yusuf also called out Miliband’s complicity, saying:
“Dire humanitarian situation in Gaza” Another Miliband statement on Gaza that skirts around the word.
Miliband’s statement covered the usual diplomatic bullet points, i.e., support for a two-state solution and the twenty-point plan.
Gideon Sa’ar visited the UK last year
In April 2025, the Hind Rajab Foundation and the Global Legal Action Network formally sought an arrest warrant for Gideon Sa’ar during a previous visit to the UK.
Hind Rajab Foundation said that at the time:
Sa’ar is deeply implicated in the collective decisions that led to mass civilian death and suffering following October 7, 2023. His central role in shaping and defending the government’s military policy makes him a key figure in the leadership responsible for a campaign the ICJ has found plausibly genocidal.
Sultana called out Starmer for blocking the potential arrest warrant against Sa’ar, which he denied.
Journalist Craig Murray had also slammed the visit last year and noted in particular that David Lammy, then foreign secretary, had probably met with him. He posted on X at the time:
Gideon Saar probably flew to London to deliver Lammy’s latest cheque in person.
Worth remembering that while they were meeting, as usual an RAF surveillance plane from Akrotiri was over Gaza providing targeting information to Israel. https://t.co/czlCEZOWbG— Craig Murray (@CraigMurrayOrg) April 16, 2025
He also replied to Miliband’s recent post, saying:
Utter bullshit. There has been absolutely zero change in UK complicity in Genocide.
Utter bullshit. There has been absolutely zero change in UK complicity in Genocide. https://t.co/fzuFZZNrvQ
— Craig Murray (@CraigMurrayOrg) August 12, 2026
The new foreign secretary is not going to be much different than Likud Lammy, is he?
Featured image via the Canary
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