Jeremy Corbyn has called Hamas a ‘terrorist group’ despite refusing to label them as such in the past.
He made the remarks in the left-wing Tribune magazine and argued Israel is guilty of ‘acts of terror too’.
Sir Keir Starmer hit back and said Mr Corbyn’s ‘days as a Labour MP are over’ after the MP repeatedly declined to call Hamas terrorists.
Follow our live blog for the latest developments on the Israel-Hamas War
Meanwhile hundreds of pro-Palestinian protesters have gathered outside Sir Keir Starmer’s office in Camden and chanted ‘Keir Starmer’s a wasteman’ and ‘What do we want? A ceasefire. When do we want it? Now’.
Mr Corbyn wrote in the magazine: ‘I deplore the targeting of all civilians.
‘If we understand terrorism to describe the indiscriminate killing of civilians, in breach of international law, then of course Hamas is a terrorist group.
‘The targeting of hospitals, refugee camps and so-called safe zones by the Israeli army are acts of terror too; and the killing of more than 11,000 people, half of whom are children, cannot possibly be understood as acts of self-defence.
‘We should not entertain questions from those who have no interest in applying this basic consistency.’
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He continued: ‘Ultimately, we do not just have a responsibility to end the bloodshed.
‘We have a responsibility to stop bloodthirsty voices from dictating the terms of debate, and to push back against cynical attempts to distract us from our urgent goal: bringing about an immediate ceasefire.’
He urged readers to understand Palestinians ‘are living under occupation and a system of apartheid’, in a comparison with the Irish under British rule and urged political leaders to ‘desperately’ learn the lesson of how ‘the endless cycle of violence for good’ was broken in Northern Ireland to end the Troubles.
On Piers Morgan’s TalkTV show earlier this week, Mr Corbyn refused to call Hamas a terrorist organisation.
Hamas is designated as a terror group in the UK, as well as in the US and the European Union.
Talking about Mr Corbyn to the News Agents podcast, Mr Starmer said: ‘He won’t stand as a Labour MP at the next election or any election.
‘His days as a Labour MP are over. We have a changed party.’
But many Labour frontbenchers stood down over Mr Starmer’s refusal to back calls for a ceasefire.
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