Labour’s Wes Streeting didn’t mince his words this weekend as he fired back at Israel’s UK embassy following their criticism of Glastonbury performers.
The health secretary called out Israel’s government over its handling of settler violence in the West Bank after the embassy slammed Bob Vylan’s set at the famous music festival.
🎤 Glastonbury set under fire for ‘inflammatory rhetoric’
Bob Vylan, the punk-rap duo known for their political lyrics, stirred controversy on Saturday with chants of “death to the IDF” during their live set — a performance also streamed on BBC iPlayer.
Police are now investigating whether any criminal offences were committed by the group or by Irish act Kneecap, who also performed politically charged tracks at the festival.
The Israeli embassy in the UK posted a strongly worded statement on X (formerly Twitter), saying it was “deeply disturbed” by what it called “inflammatory and hateful rhetoric”.
“When speech crosses into incitement, hatred, and advocacy of ethnic cleansing, it must be called out,” they said.
🇮🇱 Streeting slams Israel’s ‘double standards’
But appearing on Sky News, Wes Streeting took the opportunity to turn the spotlight back on Israel.
“I’d say to the Israeli Embassy — get your own house in order,” he said, accusing Israeli authorities of ignoring settler violence in the West Bank.
Streeting pointed to the torching of the Palestinian village of Taybeh and condemned the broader conduct of Israel’s war in Gaza.
Presenter Trevor Phillips described the comments as “pretty tough language”, to which Streeting replied:
“There’s no justification for inciting violence against Israelis, but the way Israel is conducting this war has made it extremely difficult for its allies to stand by.”
He added that while the UK government still condemns the Hamas attacks on 7 October and supports the return of hostages, Israel’s military actions risk alienating international support.
You can watch it below:
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