AMY GOODMAN: This is Democracy Now!, democracynow.org, The War and Peace Report. I’m Amy Goodman, with Nermeen Shaikh.

NERMEEN SHAIKH: We turn now to look at how criticism of Israel is growing in Europe, as the U.K. pauses trade talks and the EU reviews its relationship with Israel. This is British Prime Minister Keir Starmer speaking Tuesday.

PRIME MINISTER KEIR STARMER: But first, Mr. Speaker, I’d like to say something about the horrific situation in Gaza, where the level of suffering, innocent children being bombed again, is utterly intolerable. … The recent announcement that Israel would allow a basic quantity of food into Gaza — a basic quantity — is totally and utterly inadequate. So we must coordinate our response, because this war has gone on for far too long. We cannot allow the people of Gaza to starve.

AMY GOODMAN: Keir Starmer, the British prime minister, long an ally of Israel. The British Foreign Secretary David Lammy also condemned Israel’s actions in Gaza in a speech to the House of Commons.

DAVID LAMMY: Prime Minister Netanyahu, end this blockade now and let the aid in. Regrettably, Madam Deputy Speaker, despite our efforts, this Israeli government’s egregious actions and rhetoric have continued. They are isolating Israel from its friends and partners around the world, undermining the interests of the Israeli people, and damaging the image of the state of Israel in the eyes of the world. … Therefore, today, I’m announcing that we have suspended negotiations with this Israeli government on a new trade — free trade agreement.

NERMEEN SHAIKH: The comments of the British foreign secretary and prime minister came days after as many as 500,000 people took part in a massive march for Palestine in London to mark the 77th anniversary of the Nakba. Meanwhile, the European Union has announced it’s reviewing its relationship with Israel.

AMY GOODMAN: We’re joined now by two guests. From Brussels, Lynn Boylan is with us, an Irish member of the European Parliament, chair of the European Parliament’s delegation for relations with Palestine. And joining us from London, British MP, former Labour Party leader Jeremy Corbyn.

Welcome back to Democracy Now! MP Corbyn, if you could start off by responding to the shift? We just were in Gaza, talking to a British doctor who’s there helping the children and the people of Gaza, saying that what Keir Starmer has done does make a difference. Now, you were certainly opposed to the prime minister and so much of the support of Israel. What is causing this shift in the British government’s position?

JEREMY CORBYN: It’s pretty clear that the huge demonstrations in Britain and the outpouring of public condemnation of Israel’s bombardment of Gaza has eventually forced the British government into a slightly different position, in that they’ve now suspended, as you reported, the trade talks with Israel. They claim to have suspended all arms supplies to Israel, but we question that, because we believe that parts for the F-35 jets are still being sold to Israel, and we’re also questioning the amount of arms that have been sold over the last few months.

But there’s no doubt that the position of the Palestinian people being starved to death, bombed to death in Gaza, has forced the British government into a different position. We are keeping up all the pressure we can in order to get aid in, but also to end the occupation, because that is clearly what the ICJ position is: end the occupation of Gaza and of the West Bank.

NERMEEN SHAIKH: Let’s bring in Lynn Boylan. Lynn, you are a member of European Parliament. Could you talk about — and also chair of the European Parliament’s delegation for relations with Palestine. If you could talk about the significance of this review? The European Union is, of course, Israel’s largest trading partner. But what do you think could come of this review, given that there is no unanimous position within the European Union on Israel?

LYNN BOYLAN: Well, I think, first and foremost, I’d echo what Jeremy is saying, is that the only reason why the EU has announced this review, and there isn’t even an overall — like, there isn’t even a majority at the EU Council level to review the trading agreement, is because of the people power and the pressure that is coming on politicians right across the European Union. And I’d encourage people to continue to do that.

But I would say that the time for a review has long since passed. So, what we’re calling for is to suspend the agreement, pending the review. The review can take place. They can do the research, if they haven’t seen. What everybody has seen on their phone is that Israel is not upholding human rights and Article 2 of the trading agreement. It should be suspended. But we’re calling for them to suspend it, then carry out your review and come back with your findings.

But what we’re fearing is that the announcing a review is like kicking it down the road. It’s, I suppose, addressing the people pressure, but actually not doing anything concrete to address the situation. So we’re also calling on MEPs right across Europe who are frustrated by the lack of European-wide action to call on their national governments to end trade with Israel. For example, in Ireland, we have what’s called the Occupied Territories Bill, which would cease trade, obviously, just with the Occupied Territories, but it would be a significant message sent out that at least Ireland wants to be compliant with international law. And we’re encouraging MEPs across Europe to do similar initiatives in their countries.

NERMEEN SHAIKH: So, Jeremy Corbyn, if you could talk about what sanctions the U.K. has already imposed on Israel, and against whom, and talk about the new inquiry? You’ve been calling for a new inquiry into Britain’s relationship with Israel. If you could tell us what that’s about?

JEREMY CORBYN: Sure. On June the 4th, I’m introducing a private members’ bill into the House of Commons calling for an independent inquiry into the whole process of policymaking in relation to Gaza, the West Bank and Britain’s arms supplies to Israel, particularly during the period since October 2023. This is similar to the inquiry that was headed by Sir John Chilcot, eventually, to inquire into policymaking surrounding the Iraq War.

My purpose in doing this is because the government has obfuscated on many, many occasions over the past 18 months over the level of arms supplies, over trade, over aid, over credits and so on to Israel, and also particularly about the manufacture of Israeli weapons in Britain, particularly in Sheffield and other places where parts for the F-35 are made. So, a group of us in Parliament have been raising this consistently.

The issue of arms supplies goes something like this. Britain was — and remains, to some extent — a supplier of arms to Israel. David Lammy, the foreign secretary, suspended 30 arms licenses out of 300 that were in operation, without ever specifying what these 30 licenses were. And to be honest, I still don’t know what those 30 arms licenses are. He claims they were over supply of weapons that could be used for crimes against humanity, but we later discovered that many weapons have continued to be supplied. And yesterday, we published a report from Progressive International and other groups which is outlining the whole case for suspending arms supplies, and pointing out the dishonesty of the British government over the past 18 months on this. And that report is being circulated to MPs and will be part of the case I’ll be making to the British Parliament on June the 4th.

The question of suspending the trade talks is an interesting one and a very interesting development, because, to some extent, it is running in tandem — in parallel, rather — with what the European Union is doing, because Britain is no longer a member of the European Union. We welcome that suspension. There has always been the legal case against buying settlement goods because of the illegality of the settlements, but it has been very hard to trace what are settlement goods and what isn’t. But, actually, a consumer boycott is gathering pace. The members of the co-operative society, a very big retailer in Britain with a huge membership base across the whole country, voted by 70% last week to request their board to suspend all purchases from Israel so no Israeli products would be stocked in co-op shops. And there’s a lot of pressure on to the other big retailers to do the same.

So, there’s been an enormous shift in public opinion, and it’s caused by utter revulsion at seeing emaciated children starve to death or dying on the operating theater, where there’s no anesthetics or even antiseptics to treat their terrible conditions they’re suffering. People can stomach no longer the sight of Palestinian children being starved and murdered by the Israeli occupation of Gaza.

AMY GOODMAN: MP Corbyn, the U.K. sanctioned violent West Bank settlers, but the British foreign minister, Lammy, stopped short of targeting Israeli officials. Can you talk about the significance of those sanctions and what you think has to go further?

JEREMY CORBYN: The sanctions themselves against individual violent settlers are important and a good step forward. So far, the only sanctions apply to Benjamin Netanyahu and Benny Gantz, who have arrest warrants out from the International Criminal Court. And Britain, as a signatory to the Rome Convention, is required to carry out those arrest warrants, should either of those individuals turn up in U.K. territory.

What David Lammy stopped short of doing was what many of us requested, which is a wider sanctioning of officials in the Israeli government who have been a party to the decision making on the bombardment of Gaza — their names are well known — but also of Israeli Defense Force high command, who are also, obviously, very much part of the decision-making process on which buildings to bomb and which buildings to blow up — not that there’s many buildings left in Gaza that are still to be blown up. And so, we are continuing that pressure.

So, there’s a big move in Parliament on military equipment, on demanding aid get in rapidly, rapidly, rapidly to Gaza, and also sanctions against Israeli officials. And so, changes are happening, but it’s desperately slow, and already over 60,000 have died in Gaza.

AMY GOODMAN: Can I also ask you about your response to what happened in Washington? All these young embassy and consular staffers from different consulates and organizations gathered at the Jewish Museum, and a young man opened fire, killing two of those who worked at the Israeli Embassy. Your response?

JEREMY CORBYN: It’s absolutely shocking. Nobody should be shot. Nobody should be killed at any event anywhere around the world. That is not the way to solve the issue. And so, we have to be resolute in demanding peace for all, and also recognize that in the case of Britain and also in the case of the U.S.A., the big demonstrations in support of the Palestinian people are of Christian, Jewish and Muslim and people of no particular faiths. And one of the biggest groups on our demonstrations in support of the Palestinian people is actually the Jewish bloc.

NERMEEN SHAIKH: Lynn Boylan, finally, before we end, if you could also respond to events here, Washington, D.C., the killing of these two Israeli Embassy staffers, and then the fact that within the EU, it’s France that’s leading efforts for the official recognition of Palestine? If you could talk about the significance of that, France meeting Saudi Arabia next month, apparently, in New York? Foreign Secretary Lammy has said he’s also in talks with France and Saudi Arabia about officially recognizing Palestine. Please.

LYNN BOYLAN: Yeah, and just to echo, I suppose, what Jeremy has said, and send my condolences to the family of the two who were shot dead last night, nobody should be losing their lives. What we want to see is peace. We want to have a long-standing peace in Gaza, in Palestine, for the Palestinian people and Jewish people to be able to live in peace.

In regards to President Macron leading the case for the recognition of the state of Palestine, look, it is very welcome. Ireland and Spain recognized Palestine — I think it was about a year ago. You know, Sweden, some years before. It is important. It’s a really significant step. I’m sure it’ll be very much welcomed by the Palestinian people.

But for me, the urgency within the EU now is ending the blockade, is demanding the ceasefire. And demanding the ceasefire means that EU countries need to stop supplying weapons to Israel. So, while Jeremy was talking about Britain’s role in arming Israel, we have countries within the EU who are significant weapons providers to the Israeli state. If they wanted this conflict and this war and genocide to end tomorrow, then they need to stop supplying weapons to Israel. And the F-35s is a critical part of that.

We also need to see aid getting in, and the aid needs to be delivered and supported through UNRWA. And we’re fighting very hard back on any push to militarize the aid agenda. And we’re seeing Israel talking about setting up compounds where, you know, women would have to go to areas, putting themselves in vulnerable positions, people with disabilities, children having to go, and that Israel would decide who is deserving, who isn’t deserving of aid. This cannot be tolerated. What we need is UNRWA to be allowed to do their job, lift the blockade, let the trucks in, and deliver the aid to the people who so desperately need it, those children, 14,000 children, who are at risk of dying from starvation in the next 48 hours.

That’s where our focus should be. Absolutely, recognize the state of Palestine, but right now the people of Palestine need food, they need medicine, they need water, and they need to stop the bombs dropping on them.

AMY GOODMAN: Lynn Boylan, we want to thank you for being with us, from Brussels, Irish member of the European Parliament, MEP, and chair of the European Parliament’s delegation for relations with Palestine. And we want to thank Jeremy Corbyn in London, member of the British Parliament, former Labour Party leader there.

Next up, we go to South Africa, a day after the president, Cyril Ramaphosa, met with President Trump at the Oval Office, calmly rejecting Trump’s false claims of a white genocide in South Africa. Back in 20 seconds.

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AMY GOODMAN: The late, great Michael Hurley, performing in our Democracy Now! studio. To see our interview with him and more songs, go to democracynow.org.