Fighting Netanyahu, backing Israel, defending Palestinians – Labour is stuck in a confusing, painful position | Jonathan Freedland

The British government's partial ban on arms sales pleased no one, revealing perilous terrain for centre-left politicians

Does an early Nobel peace prize beckon for Keir Starmer? Could the new prime minister be poised to surpass the achievement of Barack Obama, who bagged the award less than 10 months after taking office? The question arises because the Labour government has succeeded in a task most thought impossible: uniting advocates of the two sides in what may be the world's bitterest conflict. This week Labour managed to lead both the loudest supporters of Israel and the most trenchant defenders of the Palestinians to a rare position of agreement. Just one problem: what those two sides had in common was their shared fury at the UK government.

The point of convergence was Britain's suspension of 30 arms export licences to Israel, the decision taken after the government determined a clear risk" that the hardware sold - military aircraft, helicopters, drones and targeting equipment - could be used in violations of international humanitarian law (IHL).

Jonathan Freedland is a Guardian columnist