Jonathan Cook: Western Leaders Condemn Gaza Genocide Only to Buy Time for Israel
British Commentator Slams Starmer, Macron, and Carney for Enabling Ethnic Cleansing While Pretending Outrage.
Watan-British commentator Jonathan Cook argues that UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer and other Western leaders’ recent condemnations of Israel’s actions in Gaza are a performance that doesn’t absolve them of responsibility for the ongoing genocide. In an article for Middle East Eye, Cook asserts that the flow of Palestinian blood leads directly to their doorsteps.
He accuses Western capitals of synchronizing both their previous support and their current “criticism” of Israel with Washington and Tel Aviv, describing the moral outcry as scripted political theater meant to distract from a coordinated policy of complicity. According to Cook, the change in rhetoric from countries like the UK, France, and Canada was not driven by new atrocities but by a calculated effort to rewrite the narrative as Israel nears the “final phase” of ethnic cleansing in Gaza.
Despite media shifts and joint condemnations calling Israeli actions “disproportionate,” Cook insists this is just a continuation of the same deceptive narrative that protects Israel from accountability. He points to statements from Israeli and Western officials that confirm the timing of criticisms was deliberate, tied to the EU summit in Brussels.
Cook: UK, France Still Arming Israel Behind Genocide Outrage
He concludes that nothing short of genuine political will—such as recognizing Palestine, arresting Netanyahu under ICC warrants, or prosecuting British citizens serving in Gaza—can be seen as credible. Current gestures are cosmetic, designed to delay pressure while Israel completes its project of destruction.
Cook warns that public disgust is mounting, yet leaders remain trapped in a contradictory dance of condemnation and complicity, desperate to reshape the narrative without confronting the real consequences of their choices.
