Question: “Why this blatant contradiction?!” Answer: “No comment”.
In The Name of Allah, The Most Merciful, The Bestower of Mercy.
Allah [The Most High] says:
يَـٰٓأَيُّہَا ٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُواْ كُونُواْ قَوَّٲمِينَ بِٱلۡقِسۡطِ شُہَدَآءَ لِلَّهِ وَلَوۡ عَلَىٰٓ أَنفُسِكُمۡ أَوِ ٱلۡوَٲلِدَيۡنِ وَٱلۡأَقۡرَبِينَۚ إِن يَكُنۡ غَنِيًّا أَوۡ فَقِيرً۬ا فَٱللَّهُ أَوۡلَىٰ بِہِمَاۖ فَلَا تَتَّبِعُواْ ٱلۡهَوَىٰٓ أَن تَعۡدِلُواْۚ وَإِن تَلۡوُ ۥۤاْ أَوۡ تُعۡرِضُواْ فَإِنَّ ٱللَّهَ كَانَ بِمَا تَعۡمَلُونَ خَبِيرً۬ا
O you who believe! Stand out firmly for justice, as witnesses to Allah; even though it be against yourselves, or your parents, or your kin, be he rich or poor, Allah is a Better Protector to both (than you). So follow not the lusts (of your hearts), lest you may avoid justice, and if you distort your witness or refuse to give it, verily, Allah is Ever Well-Acquainted with what you do. [Surah An-Nisaa. Ayah 135]
Recent statement:
Mr. Starmer stated: Let me be clear about what I was saying and what I wasn’t saying; I was saying Israel has the right to self-defense, and when I said that right, it was the right to self-defense; I was not saying that Israel had the right to cut off water, fuel, food supplies or medicine.
Previous Statement:
The Interviewer said to Mr Starmer: I think you would understand, I have to start with events that we are seeing, the Israel and Hamas conflict. Overnight Leo Varadkar, the Irish Prime minister had said that Israel has to be careful because if they are not proportionate, they will risk losing global support. So, what is the proportionate response in your view?
Mr Starmer responded: I think I have to say that the responsibility lies with Hamas. This is cold-blooded murder of men, women, even children. It is terrorism and Israel has the right to defend herself, and there is an ongoing situation with hostages, and Israel has the right to do everything that it can to get those hostages back, safe and sound. Therefore, I am very clear, Israel does have that right to defend herself and Hamas bears responsibility.
The Interviewer said: A siege is appropriate? Cutting off power, cutting off water?
Mr Starmer responded: I think Israel does have that right, it is an ongoing situation. Obviously, everything must be done within international law, but I don’t want to step away from the core principles that Israel has the right to defend herself and Hamas has responsibility for these terrorist acts….. [End of quote]
So, you can judge for yourselves whether the recent and previous statements are a contradiction or whether they can be reconciled.
Finally, examine the consistency of this Muslim ruler – Saudi Prince Turki Al-Faisal who stated – on October 18, 2023 – about the present Israel Government and the Hamas:
All militarily occupied people have a right to resist their occupation, even militarily. I do not support the military option in Palestine. I prefer the other option: civil insurrection and disobedience. It brought down the British Empire in India and the Soviet Empire in Eastern Europe. Israel has overwhelming military superiority and we see in front of our eyes, the devastation and oblivion it is bringing to the people of Gaza.
I categorically condemn Hamas’ targeting of civilian targets of any age or gender, as it is accused of. Such targeting belies Hamas’s claims to an Islamic identity. There is an Islamic injunction against the killing of innocent children, women, and elders. The injunction is also against the desecration of places of worship.
I also condemn Hamas’ gifting the higher moral ground to an Israeli government that is universally shunned, even by half of the Israeli public as fascist, miscreant, and abhorrent. I condemn Hamas for giving this awful government the excuse to ethnically cleanse Gaza of its citizens and bombing them to oblivion.
I condemn Hamas further undermining the Palestinian Authority as Israel has been doing. I condemn Hamas for sabotaging the attempt of Saudi Arabia to reach a peaceful resolution to the plight of the Palestinian people.
But equally, I condemn Israel’s indiscriminate bombing of Palestinian civilians in Gaza and the attempt to forcibly drive them into Sinai. I condemn Israeli targeted killing and the indiscriminate Arrest of Palestinian children, women, and men in the West Bank. Two wrongs don’t make a right.
I’ve been hearing a repeated phrase in American media: unprovoked attack. What more provocation is required to make it provoked than what Israel has done to the Palestinian people for three-quarters of a century? I refer you to the article in the Middle East Monitor of February 17 2014 under the title: Israeli army veterans admit role in massacre of Palestinians in 1948. Read it and weep as I did. Just this year, from May to July, over 450 Palestinians were killed, including 67 children. This bloodletting must stop. I condemn Israel’s stealing of Palestinian lands. I condemn Israeli colonists for rampaging through houses of worship in the Al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem. I condemn Israel for destroying Palestinian homes and olive orchids. I condemn Israel for incarcerating Palestinian women, children, and men in concentration camps without reason to due process. I condemn Israel’s targeted killings and assassinations of Palestinians.
I condemn Western politicians for shedding tears when Israelis are killed by Palestinians but refuse to even express sorrow when Israelis kill Palestinians. There are no heroes in this complicit. Only victims.