Corbyn’s Tribunal Opens to Probe UK Role in Israeli War Crimes

Date: 05 September 2025 - 23:20

News ID: ۱۴۳۱۸۳

LONDON (Dispatches) -- Around 50 people gathered in a packed room at Westminster’s historic Church House on Thursday to hear powerful testimony during the first day of the Gaza Tribunal, an independent inquiry led by former Labor leader Jeremy Corbyn.
While the physical attendance was limited, over 12,000 viewers watched the proceedings online, underscoring widespread public interest.
The Gaza Tribunal aims to hold the British government accountable for its role in enabling Israel’s ongoing war crimes in Gaza.
Earlier this year, Corbyn introduced a bill calling for a public, Chilcot-style inquiry into Britain’s military cooperation with Israel, but the Labor government blocked it. This unofficial tribunal has therefore stepped in to fill the void.
The hearing featured testimonies from eyewitnesses, UN rapporteurs, journalists, medical professionals, and academics.
Francesca Albanese, the UN Special Rapporteur on occupied Palestine, addressed the tribunal via Zoom, emphasizing that states like the UK have a legal obligation to halt investment and economic ties with Israel.
Albanese criticized Britain and other countries for “miserably failing” to meet their obligations by providing Israel with weapons, military aid, and political backing.
She warned that such failures “might be sufficient to establish a criminal case for complicity” and that government officials approving arms sales could be held individually responsible.
Chaired by human rights law professor Neve Gordon, international law lecturer Shahd Hammouri, and Jeremy Corbyn himself, the tribunal seeks to expose “the full scale of British complicity in genocide,” Corbyn said, vowing to “bring about justice for the people of Palestine.”
Labor MP Richard Burgon testified that the government was complicit by giving Israel a “political greenlight” and failing to properly assess its legal responsibilities. He criticized the government’s reliance on information provided by Israel itself when evaluating potential war crimes.
Declassified UK’s chief reporter John McEvoy revealed that parts for Israeli trainer aircraft continue to be exported from the UK, and that British forces have trained Israeli soldiers as recently as last month.
Meanwhile, Doctors Without Borders’ Natalie Roberts described how medical teams are working under “harsh conditions with little food,” and campaigners highlighted increasing restrictions on pro-Palestine activism in Britain.
Surgeon and Oxford academic Nick Maynard, who has operated in Gaza during the conflict, recounted how Israeli forces bombed an intensive care unit while he was working next door and described treating children targeted in coordinated attacks.
The two-day tribunal continued Friday, aiming to shed light on the UK’s role in Israel’s actions in Gaza and push for accountability.