British Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband told Labour members at the party's annual conference that they "were right" to be "moved and outraged by the plight of the Palestinian people" – an acknowledgment that the previous Labour government's approach had fallen short.
Miliband added that, "Under Andy's leadership, we have reset our approach," referring to British Prime Minister Andy Burnham, who took over from Keir Starmer in the summer.
Miliband added: "We call out ethnic cleansing by the settler terrorists in the West Bank. We call out the evidence of war crimes in Gaza. We call out Israel's illegal occupation of Palestine. And we match words with actions."
Miliband's speech comes weeks after he and Burnham announced that the British government would ban imports of goods originating in Israeli settlements in the West Bank, citing ongoing settler violence and the rapid expansion of settlements.
Miliband was later quoted as saying that the scope of measures taken against settlements would depend on the actions of Israel's next government.
Pledging that Britain "will never be silent about injustice and suffering," Miliband reiterated London's support for a two-state solution between Israelis and Palestinians. The foreign secretary also said that the party would always stand "against antisemitism wherever we find it and in whatever form," drawing applause from those present.
Miliband also said that Labour would "always recognize the threats Israel faces and stand emphatically against those who seek its destruction."
Miliband called the Hamas-led October 7 attacks "murderous," adding that while they prompted the "rightful condemnation" by most of the world, they could not "justify the suffering the Netanyahu government has inflicted in Gaza and the West Bank." He added that the suffering in Gaza "is a stain on the conscience of the world."
The British government's argument over the matter "is not with the people of Israel, but with the actions of its government," he said.
In July, weeks before he assumed office, Prime Minister Burnham apologized for his party's initial response to Israel's war in Gaza, saying Labour "didn't get it right" and should "do better" under his leadership. On Monday, Miliband struck a similar note.
"I want to say to the millions of people in this country, and indeed elsewhere, who have been moved and outraged by the plight of the Palestinian people, we hear you. You were right," he said to widespread applause.
Under Burnham, Miliband said, "We have reset our approach. We call out ethnic cleansing by the settler terrorists in the West Bank. We call out the evidence of war crimes in Gaza. We call out Israel's illegal occupation of Palestine. And we match words with action. We will ban the import of goods from illegal settlements. We will disrupt the supply lines of British finance, British construction and British services for illegal settlements."
Labour's three-day annual conference is taking place in Liverpool and began on Sunday. Merseyside Police reported late Sunday that more than 50 people had been arrested near the venue where the conference is taking place.
In a statement, police said the protesters were arrested for wearing items of clothing or carrying signs in support of Palestine Action, a proscribed terrorist organization whose designation the Court of Appeal in London reaffirmed earlier this year.
Amnesty International U.K. issued a statement calling the arrests "outrageous."
"In the U.K., over 3,500 people have been arrested, with more than 2,250 formally charged under terror laws for peacefully protesting the ban on Palestine Action," the statement said. "How many more will it take for the government to stop misusing terror laws?"
