Since Saturday, October 7, the left in several European countries has reacted in disarray to Hamas' attack on Israel. While some unreservedly condemned the Islamist group's offensive and the massacres committed by its fighters, others have pointed to the responsibility of the Jewish state. Variously, they cited the right of occupied Palestinians to defend themselves, denounced "Israeli apartheid" or rejected the use of "terrorists" to describe Hamas.

While Socialist Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez condemned "the terrorist attacks against Israel" that "nothing can justify," his radical left-wing partners (Podemos, Sumar etc.), whom he is seeking to renew his governing coalition with, expressed their support for the Palestinians. "Today and always with Palestine," posted MP Tesh Sidi (Sumar) on X (formerly Twitter) as soon as the murders of civilians became known. On Monday, Podemos spokesperson Isa Serra and General Secretary of the Spanish Communist Party and MP for Sumar Enrique Santiago took part in a demonstration in support of Palestine. "Occupied peoples have the legitimate right to defend themselves," said Santiago, refusing to call Hamas a terrorist organization.

The Mas Madrid municipal group spokesperson Rita Maestre refused to take part in a minute-long moment of silence in the capital for the Israeli victims. Second deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Labor Yolanda Diaz (Sumar), called on Europe "to speak out against Israeli apartheid and to condemn violence against the civilian population, wherever it comes from."

Keir Starmer, Labour's leader, has spent the last three years marginalizing the party's left wing, supporters of his predecessor Jeremy Corbyn, a long-time campaigner for the Palestinian cause. Married to a Jewish lawyer, Starmer has also made it a priority to combat anti-Semitism within the party, which his predecessor failed to tackle sufficiently, according to the UK Equality and Human Rights Commission. On Saturday, he condemned "the appalling acts of terrorism against Israel." On Wednesday, he even assured LBC radio that Israel "has the right" to cut off power and water to the Gaza Strip. But tensions remain with the left wing of the party. At the party's annual conference in Liverpool, activists took part in demonstrations on Sunday, October 8, in support of Palestine, and Corbyn refused to condemn Hamas, claiming that "ending the occupation" is "the only way to achieve a lasting and just peace."

You have 62.22% of this article left to read. The rest is for subscribers only.