The Foreign Office has issued a carefully worded statement on the Jerusalem march. It reads like a diplomatic safety blanket. 'The UK reaffirms its commitment to a two-state solution.' That is the official line.
But here is the reality. That march was a powder keg. It was a display of hardline nationalism. It was also a gift to the pro-Palestinian lobby. The footage will be weaponised. You can bet on it.
Westminster is jittery. The usual suspects are sharpening their knives. The left of the Labour party is already demanding a stronger condemnation. The right of the Conservative party is muttering about 'siding with Israel'. Starmer is treading water. Sunak wants this to go away.
The statement might buy some time. It placates the liberal internationalists. It gives the impression of doing something. But the fundamental problem remains. The peace process is dead. The two-state solution is a mantra, not a plan. Every statement is just kicking the can down the road.
Inside the Foreign Office, they know this. The diplomats are exhausted. They have been drafting similar statements for decades. They are tired of the talking points. But they have to say something. Because the alternative is… what?
The march itself is a symptom of a wider malaise. The Israeli government is lurching to the right. The Palestinian Authority is losing credibility. The street is boiling. And Britain? Britain is a bystander. We have no leverage. We have no influence. We just issue statements.
The real action is in the polling booths and the backrooms. The government is watching the Muslim vote. Labour is watching its internal splits. Everyone is watching the by-elections. This is about politics, not policy.
So the statement will do. It will be printed in the papers. It will be quoted on the news. And then it will be forgotten. Until the next crisis. Because that is how this game works. We are just spectators now.
