Join for the fifth of a series of small online discussions about Peter Oborne's book Complicit: Britain's Role in the Destruction of Gaza. This one is about chapter 6 “The pro-Israel lobby in Britain" and chapter 7 “The political formation of Sir Keir Starmer” i.e. 44 pages of reading.
About the book
Fearless and forensic, this incendiary indictment from one of Britain’s most celebrated political journalists lays bare the full extent of British complicity in the destruction of Gaza.
In a gripping narrative informed by original reporting, Peter Oborne tells how Britain’s Conservative and Labour parties converged to back Israel’s criminal assault—in the process occupying disturbing common ground with the far right.
Rather than challenge this political cartel, British media colluded in its misrepresentations. The shocking result was that, as British authorities helped Israel set Gaza as well as international law aflame, almost everything the public was told about this momentous conflagration was untrue.
When citizens still turned out in their hundreds of thousands to demand a ceasefire, roiling the nation’s politics as they stayed faithful to the ancient British tradition of popular protest in defence of liberty, the political-media machine bared its fangs. The investigative reporting in this book exposes the methods by which peaceful demonstrations were smeared as “hate marches”.
Formerly chief political commentator at the Daily Telegraph and Spectator, Oborne knows the British establishment from within. In this book he names names and provides receipts. His demand is accountability—for atrocities, and their accomplices.
We at FreelancersForPalestine.org.uk have chosen Complicit because it's not there to convince the reader of Palestinian suffering or the Palestinian cause. It's a book that promises to lay out how our own political and media institutions are complicit in the subjugation of Palestinians. We hope it might help us - in the UK - to think more about how we resist what our institutions are responsible for.
Find the book in bookshops, in the Palestine Solidarity Campaign shop (£12), at Bookshop.org (£12), on World of Books (£9+) or potentially at your local library.
About the discussion
If you're a busy person who supports a free Palestine, this could be good for you.
We hope to have up to 10 people for this discussion. We'll have intros, some chat about the focus chapters, and an invitation for people to share or suggest actions we can take in solidarity with Palestine.
Don't worry: this will not be a place for expert-level discussion. Neither will it be a place to debate Palestinian freedom, equality and justice. If you're anti-zionist and pro-Palestine but not always up-to-date or taking action in solidarity, you'll be welcome here.
If you have any accessibility questions or needs, please get in touch to discuss them with us!
About the discussion series
This is the fifth of nine online discussions taking place every third Tuesday of the month, between June 2026 - February 2027.
Each month will have a focus chapter(s), and you can join for one or many. You do not need to join for every discussion, but it'll be lovely to see people multiple times (helps to build a sense of community!).
Take your pick:
- 17 June: introduction and chapter 1 (34 pages)
- 21 July: chapter 2 (34 pages)
- 18 August: chapters 3 and 4 (32 pages)
- 15 September: chapter 5 (24 pages)
- 20 October: chapters 6 and 7 (44 pages)
- 17 November: chapter 8 (30 pages)
- 15 December: chapters 9 and 10 (32 pages)
- 19 January: chapter 11 and conclusion (36 pages)
- 16 February: whole book (266 pages)
These discussions are especially - but not exclusively - for UK freelancers who support a free Palestine. They are an opportunity to build relationships, community and a will to act for anyone who wants that.
If you're in solidarity with Palestine, and you want to talk about this book once or many times, join us!