UK’s Oct. 7 blind spot reveals a deeper crisis in its Israel policy - opinion

The article argues that the UK government under Prime Minister Andy Burnham has a 'blind spot' regarding the October 7, 2023 Hamas massacre, focusing disproportionately on Israel's actions while ignoring the atrocities that triggered the war. The author contends that British policy is driven by domestic political calculus rather than stated values, and that the two-state solution is a 'dead star' killed by Palestinian violence.

The article, written by Rabbi Abraham Cooper of the Simon Wiesenthal Center, argues that the UK government under Prime Minister Andy Burnham has a 'blind spot' regarding the October 7, 2023 Hamas massacre. It contends that British leaders have 'collective amnesia' about the atrocities, which included the slaughter of over 1,100 people, burnings, rapes, and kidnappings. The author asserts that the British media, academia, and political elite have treated Israel as a perpetrator of apartheid and genocide rather than as a victim. The piece criticizes Burnham's recent announcement of targeted measures against Israel in support of a two-state solution, which the author calls a 'dead star' killed by Palestinian violence. The author claims the policy is driven by domestic political calculus to appease Muslim constituents rather than by stated values. The article accuses the UK of ignoring the Iranian regime's human rights abuses and of leading an 'economic war' against Israel. The framing relies on emotionally charged vocabulary and moral judgment without procedural sourcing.