First Minister Rhun ap Iorwerth and Deputy First Minister Sioned Williams have publicly stated in speeches at the National Eisteddfod that Israel's actions in Gaza amount to genocide.
The declaration came at the opening of the Gaza Genocide Tapestry, an exhibition of images of hand-stitched tapestries, on the Palestine Solidarity Campaign Cymru stand at the National Eisteddfod. The First Minister and Deputy First Minister joined Palestinian curator Faisal Saleh to view the exhibition, which documents a devastated Gaza.
Leaders Speak Out
"We call out the genocide for what it is," said First Minister Rhun ap Iorwerth. "Wales was one of the first parliaments to call for a ceasefire. There are lots of people in Wales who share our revulsion at what is happening in Gaza, and as politicians, we give voice to those feelings."
Deputy First Minister Sioned Williams said: "It was frustrating in opposition, and now in government, to be told that we do not have a voice in foreign affairs. But we do have a voice to call out the genocide. There are people on the streets of Wales every week demonstrating their revulsion at the actions in Gaza, and we reflect those voices as the government of Wales."
The Tapestry Exhibition
The hand-stitched tapestry was created by Palestinian women embroiderers in refugee camps across the West Bank, Lebanon and Jordan. Each panel is worked in tatreez — the centuries-old Palestinian art of embroidery, turned here into an act of memory and resistance.
"Every stitch becomes a gesture of memory, resilience, and a request for accountability," said Faisal Saleh, Executive Director of the Palestine Museum US and curator of the exhibition. "One of our aims was to show the consequences of silence and complicity. I have been deeply impressed by the extraordinary solidarity shown by the people of Wales, and by the global leadership demonstrated by the First Minister and Deputy First Minister. During one of the darkest chapters in our history, that solidarity means more than words can express."
PSC Cymru Welcomes Statements
Bethan Sayed of PSC Cymru said: "We warmly welcome the decision of the First Minister and Deputy First Minister to describe the Israeli government's actions in Gaza as genocide. At a time when too many political leaders continue to avoid confronting the reality of what Palestinians are enduring, their willingness to speak with clarity reflects both moral courage and leadership. The people of Wales have stood in solidarity with Palestine week after week for almost three years. Communities across the country have marched, campaigned and demanded that international law be upheld. These statements demonstrate that those voices have been heard. History will remember those who chose to remain silent, and it will remember those who stood up for justice. We hope the Welsh Government will now translate these words into action — by pursuing every opportunity available to Wales to uphold international law and support accountability."
UK Government's Position
The UK's new Prime Minister Andy Burnham has criticised Israel's actions in Gaza but stopped short of describing what was happening in Gaza as a genocide. In 2025, Keir Starmer's UK government concluded that Israel is not committing genocide in Gaza, according to a letter sent by then Foreign Secretary David Lammy to the chair of the UK Parliament’s International Development Committee. Lammy later noted that the government "is not an international court" and as such "we have not — and could not — arbitrate on whether or not Israel has breached international humanitarian law."
However, the UK has taken action against Israel. In September 2024, Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s government suspended some 30 arms export licenses to Israel. It also sanctioned several Israelis living in the West Bank, along with outposts and organisations. In May and in June 2025 the UK government imposed sanctions on Israeli ministers Itamar Ben-Gvir and Bezalel Smotrich. The UK also suspended free trade talks with Israel and summoned Israel’s ambassador over the approval of new Israeli communities in the West Bank.
