Francesca Albanese says Starmer helped 'manufacture' consensus for Israeli genocide

The UN special rapporteur on the occupied Palestinian territories has accused British Prime Minister Keir Starmer of enabling Israel's genocide in Gaza, accusing the British government of helping to "manufacture consensus" domestically on the matter.

Speaking in an interview with Middle East Eye's Expert Witness podcast on 3 November, Albanese discussed the findings of her latest report, Gaza Genocide: A Collective Crime.

The report, presented to the UN General Assembly last month, accused 63 states of enabling Israeli breaches of international law. 

It said the UK "has played a key role in military collaboration with Israel, despite internal opposition". 

The report pointed to Britain having flown "over 600 surveillance missions over Gaza throughout the genocide, sharing intelligence with Israel".

It also added that the fact the flights often coincided "with major Israeli operations suggest detailed knowledge and cooperation in the destruction of Gaza, extending beyond hostage rescue".

Albanese added that Britain "threatened [the International Criminal Court's] funding" under the previous Conservative government.

That accusation cites Middle East Eye's revelation in June that in April 2024, in a phone call with ICC Chief Prosecutor Karim Khan, then-Foreign Secretary David Cameron privately threatened to defund the court if it proceeded with arrest warrants for Israeli leaders.

Read more: Francesca Albanese says Starmer helped 'manufacture' consensus for Israeli genocide