Welsh First Minister: Israel's actions in Gaza amount to genocide

Welsh First Minister Rhun ap Iorwerth and his deputy Siân Gwenllian said on Friday that Israeli military operations in the Gaza Strip amount to genocide, a regional stance that goes beyond the official line adopted by the central government in London. The remarks came during speeches they gave at the opening of the 'Gaza Genocide Tapestry' exhibition, held on the platform of the Wales Palestine Solidarity Campaign at the National Eisteddfod, attended by Palestinian coordinator Faisal Saleh. The First Minister added: 'We call genocide exactly what it is. Wales was one of the first parliaments to call for a ceasefire. There are many people in Wales who share our disgust at what is happening in Gaza, and as politicians, we express those feelings.' Deputy First Minister Siân Gwenllian said: 'It was frustrating when we were in opposition, and now in government, when we are told we have no voice in foreign affairs. But we have a voice to condemn genocide.' She added: 'People take to the streets of Wales weekly to express their condemnation of what is happening in Gaza, and we as the Welsh government represent those voices.' The exhibition consists of images of handcrafted works using the ancient Palestinian art of embroidery (tatreez), created by Palestinian women in refugee camps across the West Bank, Lebanon, and Jordan, turning the panels into a tool for preserving memory and resistance. Faisal Saleh, executive director of the Palestine Museum in the US and exhibition coordinator, explained: 'Every stitch becomes an expression of memory, resilience, and a demand for accountability.' He added: 'One of our goals was to show the consequences of silence and complicity. I was deeply moved by the extraordinary solidarity shown by the people of Wales and the global leadership demonstrated by the First Minister and his deputy.' Bethan Sayed of the Wales Palestine Solidarity Campaign welcomed this stance, saying the Welsh leadership's willingness to speak clearly reflects moral courage and true leadership at a time when many leaders avoid facing the truth. The Welsh stance comes as the central government in London, led by Prime Minister Andy Burnham, adopts a different approach; London has criticized Israeli operations but refrained from calling them genocide. The British government had affirmed in 2025 through then-Foreign Secretary David Lammy that the UK is 'not an international court' and therefore cannot adjudicate on breaches of international humanitarian law. Nevertheless, London has taken sporadic sanction steps, including suspending around 30 arms export licenses to Israel in September 2024, imposing sanctions on a number of settlers and outposts, as well as targeting Israeli ministers such as Itamar Ben-Gvir and Bezalel Smotrich in 2025, alongside suspending free trade talks in protest at settlement expansion.