Declassified UK October 2023

Posted: 2nd November 2023

October 2023

Hi everyone, this is Mark, bringing you a rundown of articles from Declassified in October.

We’ve all been shocked and dismayed at Declassified at the terrible scenes and death toll in Gaza. As people across the globe come out in support of Palestinians, the government and most of the Labour party continue to back Israel’s bombing campaign which over the past three weeks has now killed 8,000 Palestinians, following the killings by Hamas of around 1,400 Israelis. This abhorrent impact looks set to only get worse.

It’s awful watching UK politics right now, and encouraging only that a rising number of MPs are finally coming out in favour of a ceasefire. The UK government has backed Israel unequivocally and stridently, providing military support to Israel’s campaign by deploying ships and troops to the Eastern Mediterranean, by consistent apologias for Israel’s policy, as it conducts war crimes and violates international law, and by continuing to supply weapons to the Israeli military as airstrikes pound Gaza and a ground invasion looms.

It’s stressful enough just following this. I cannot imagine how hellish it is for people in Gaza. Declassified has been monitoring UK policy in support of Israel’s bombing, and also interrogating the history of Israel’s occupation and the media coverage of it – to do what we can to inform the public to the best of our ability.

The current crisis stems from decades of abuses in occupied Palestine but which have allowed Israel to remain shielded from accountability in international courts. Journalist Jonathan Cook examined how the rules governing international law have shifted in favour of Western officials who have the most to gain from their backing of Israel.

Jonathan also asks: With a ground invasion of Gaza imminent, what is the end game for Israel? Even though the popular narrative is the need to destroy Hamas as vengeance for the October 7 surprise attack, Cook says the world has underestimated Israel’s colonial ambitions which are to make Gaza so uninhabitable that Palestinians are pushed into the Egyptian territory of Sinai.

Aiding Israel

The UK directly aids Israel’s military. Katie Fallon of Campaign Against Arms Trade delves into the UK war machine, which has been selling arms to Israel despite its illegal occupation of Palestinian territories and military assaults on Gaza over the decades.

The UK has licenced over £472 million worth of arms to Israeli forces since the Conservative government came to power in 2015 including components for F-35 combat aircraft, some of which are used by Israel to bomb Gaza.

British-Palestinian journalist Hamza Ali Shah VwqD9INLDaYbxVB60fDAHZgz7P2HibBGx4IKly2r72&c=TkLCQVQVWvM8wzHxr1jZLxBFUIVXwREhLPHAdn1jq0J57Hp2VJmISQ==&ch=AKczGQFkmk5_dPZ2In1UU28PFRXLh4DuWeRq_g_A3PxFE1gdj_B4sQ==”>

The Israel lobby has key influence. Our chief investigator Matt Kennard uncovered the relationship between Conservative MPs and a parliamentary group, Conservative Friends of Israel (CFI), that has close links with the Israeli government.

CFI has picked up the tab for dozens of Conservatives like foreign secretary James Cleverly and home secretary Suella Braverman to rub shoulders with Israel’s political elite in country, helping to cultivate the UK elite’s pro-Israel position.

Meanwhile, David Cronin argues that Rishi Sunak has taken UK backing of Israel to a new extreme. “Never before has a British prime minister effectively given Israel such a carte blanche to commit any crime it may wish”, he writes. Cronin moves from Harold Wilson, Margaret Thatcher and Tony Blair, recalling each prime minister’s stance towards Israel’s wars.

While the UK’s military support for Israel has been barely mentioned in the British media in recent years, its special relationship with Qatar, a key supporter of Hamas, has also received little attention. I examined this relationship, which has seen Qatar financially supporting Hamas since at least 2008. The RAF operates two joint squadrons with Qatar, specifically for the training and maintenance of fighter aircraft, and this partnership raises questions about the UK’s ties with the authoritarian Gulf regime.

Public Interest

We’re going to be frantic in the coming weeks monitoring the situation in Gaza. Most of the media is simply not telling the truth, and are in effect contributing to Israel’s crimes. We’re trying to expose and challenge UK government – and Labour’s – policies.

But we are tiny – 4 staff – competing with giant corporations routinely churning out public relations and propaganda for the government. If you can help us in our public interest reporting by becoming a member and regular donor, we certainly need you to.

Anti-colonialism

Matt Kennard, interviewing Sinn Fein MP Chris Hazzard in Northern Ireland, urges the English left to look to Ireland, where there is an anti-colonial movement that is right on Britain’s doorstep. Every major political party in the Republic of Ireland now supports Palestinian liberation, brought together by the shared experience of colonialism.

While the world is focused on Gaza, a 40 year anniversary has been largely bypassed. In October 1983, the US invaded Grenada, a small Caribbean island, claiming it was protecting American citizens and restoring democracy after a coup.

Even though then British prime minister Margaret Thatcher expressed concerns to President Ronald Reagan about the invasion, she refused to publicly condemn it and sought its success, the declassified files I examined.

I also observed another -8IruG7_AZOptW3cof0T0Kt8evysuZkI-ADDqH210j_t-4Zngu89pyAgyA==&c=TkLCQVQVWvM8wzHxr1jZLxBFUIVXwREhLPHAdn1jq0J57Hp2VJmISQ==&ch=AKczGQFkmk5_dPZ2In1UU28PFRXLh4DuWeRq_g_A3PxFE1gdj_B4sQ==”>

Cleverly, the lavish jet-setter

John McEvoy, one of our regular contributors, discovered Foreign Office data showing excessive spending by foreign secretary James Cleverly. The latter’s May 2023 tour of Latin America and the Caribbean cost the taxpayer over £420,000, with the MP and his delegation traveling via a luxurious private jet.

This isn’t the first time the UK government has faced criticism over excessive travel expenses. Between 2021 and 2022, several foreign secretaries spent a combined £4.6 million on private jets and government planes for overseas travel. Rishi Sunak also spent £650,271 on private jet hire in three months. Read the story to find out more about what public money is buying those in power.

Journalist Lindsey Snell covered an important, neglected scandal, writingabout the UK backing an occupation and blockade of the territory of Nagorno-Karabakh by Azerbaijan, where the UK has significant business interests. Azerbaijan is known for its repressive regime and corruption and UK companies have been implicated in corruption scandals in the country.

Richard Norton-Taylor is following an independent inquiry that has heard devastating allegations of misconduct by SAS soldiers in Afghanistan. The inquiry heard evidence of the killing of 80 Afghans in SAS night raids during an operation on 7 February 2011 when troops shot dead nine Afghans, including a 14-year-old boy, while they were sleeping.

Keep up with Declassified to know more.

Best wishes

Mark Curtis

Declassified’s editor and director.