Labour has ruled out around 30 motions about Palestine from being debated at its party conference later this month, prompting accusations of stifling debate. The conference arrangement committee, composed of elected Labour representatives and officials, deemed the motions out of order, mostly on the grounds that the issue was already addressed by the National Policy Framework (NPF) report in August.
Those who submitted the motions have until Sunday to appeal, with appeals heard on Monday. The Palestine Solidarity Campaign (PSC), which has support from some Labour MPs, criticised the decision, arguing that many proposed motions covered events after the NPF report, including Israel's announced plans to occupy Gaza City on 8 August and the killing of five Al Jazeera journalists on 10 August.
Former shadow chancellor John McDonnell said: 'With more than 30 motions on Palestine submitted to this year’s Labour party conference, it is clear that party members see Israel’s genocide against the Palestinian people as a major issue that needs to be raised on the conference floor.' He urged the government to implement sanctions, including a full arms embargo.
Ben Jamal, PSC director, added: 'Just days after a UN commission of inquiry confirmed that Israel has committed and is committing genocide in Gaza, it is shocking that Labour officials are trying to block a large influx of motions in solidarity with Palestine from being debated at this year’s party conference.' Israel has consistently rejected accusations of genocide, citing its right to self-defence.
A Labour spokesperson stated: 'A wide range of topics will be debated and discussed at annual conference. The democratically elected conference arrangements committee rules on whether motions to conference are in order, in line with Labour party rules. All party procedures have been followed.'
