Andy Burnham’s Israel stance: supportive, but sharply critical on settlements and Gaza

Andy Burnham, the Mayor of Manchester and a possible future leader in Britain, has long been seen as supportive of Israel’s right to exist, while also embracing the Palestinian narrative. The article says he recently returned to Parliament and is now viewed as a potential heir to British Prime Minister Keir Starmer.

In 2015, when he ran for the Labour leadership, Burnham said that if elected, Israel would be the destination of his first official foreign trip. He described Israel as a democracy with a long record of protecting minorities and advancing civil rights, and called the BDS movement “vindictive.” At the same time, he supports a two-state solution and was among those calling for formal recognition of a Palestinian state.

Burnham has also strongly opposed settlement activity in Judea and Samaria, which he previously described as “illegal and immoral.” On the war in Gaza, he refused to call Israel’s actions genocide, saying, “I cannot judge things of such magnitude from my position as mayor.”

Still, he voiced deep concern over the scale of destruction and harm to civilians, and called for a full investigation. In October 2023, he joined calls for a ceasefire, saying Israel was acting within international law while expressing “deep concerns” about the death toll and the blocking of aid.