UK settlements ban: How conspiracy theory accusing Burnham of courting ‘Islamist voters’ went global

British politicians have claimed a recent government shift on Israel's foreign policy is a strategy to garner support from Muslim voters. Over 1,000 Palestinians have been killed in the West Bank over a three-year period, with sixty-six communities destroyed due to ethnic cleansing incited by senior Israeli ministers. The hope for a viable Palestinian state has been shattered by the E1 settlement programme.

British Prime Minister Andy Burnham, after seven weeks as foreign secretary, announced a trade ban on Israeli settlements, which was a major step towards aligning Britain with international law. This move was supported by 11 other middle-ranking countries, including France and Canada, marking a first foreign policy success for Britain since Brexit.

However, the announcement was met with hostility from the right-wing UK press, who accused Burnham and Miliband of courting Islamist voters and kowtowing to their interests. This fictitious narrative about the Labour government's allegiance to British Muslims has become a global phenomenon, with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu even branding the UK the "Islamic Republic of Britain."