Israel’s war on the people of Gaza has revealed a chasm between popular opinion and the political class in the countries that provide Israel with invaluable support. The latest polling in the United States shows that 68 percent of Americans want the Israeli government to call a cease-fire and negotiate, while just 31 percent back arms deliveries to Israel. Yet only a handful of politicians in the US Congress back a cease-fire, and the American Israel Public Affairs Committee is now threatening to spend $100 million in a drive to unseat them.

In Britain, the divide is equally stark. The call for a cease-fire already had majority support a month ago. Polling in the last week showed that 68 percent of voters want a cease-fire, including 64 percent of Conservative supporters and 80 percent of those who back the Labour Party. Last night, however, the vast majority of British MPs refused to support a motion from the Scottish National Party calling for a cease-fire.

The Labour leader Keir Starmer faced a major rebellion in the House of Commons with more than fifty Labour MPs breaking ranks to support the call for a cease-fire, including eight members of his front bench team. This came after the Conservative prime minister Rishi Sunak was obliged to sack his home secretary, Suella Braverman, because of her attempt to incite violence against a march in solidarity with the people of Gaza last Saturday.