British Jewish Leaders Challenge Burnham on Israel Pressure Remarks

Britain's Board of Deputies and Jewish Leadership Council issued a joint statement Friday after Andy Burnham said the UK should increase pressure on Israel over Gaza and restrict weapons used in Gaza or the West Bank. The groups said they had contacted Burnham's team to convey significant concerns and welcomed his zero-tolerance stance on antisemitism. They warned that hatred directed at Jews and Israelis is fueled by distorted or one-sided Gaza portrayals and efforts to single out the world's only Jewish state. The statement said Gaza's suffering cannot be understood without Hamas's October 7 attack, hostage-holding, fighting from civilian areas and refusal to disarm.