Sir Keir Starmer has “condemned” Israel’s air strikes in Qatar as “completely unacceptable”, including they “do nothing to secure peace”, as he met the nation’s president Isaac Herzog in Downing Street.
Israel killed not less than six folks, together with a member of Qatar’s inner safety forces and 5 Hamas figures after it launched an unprecedented air raid on Doha on Tuesday.
The assembly at Number 10 noticed Mr Herzog “argue” with the Sir Keir over UK plans to recognise a Palestinian state and issues over the humanitarian scenario in Gaza.
A Downing Street spokesperson stated Sir Keir had “condemned Israel’s action in Doha yesterday as completely unacceptable. He said the strikes were a flagrant violation of a key partner’s sovereignty and do nothing to secure the peace we all desperately want to see”.
“Turning to Gaza, he reiterated his huge concern and implored Israel to change course. They must stop the man-made famine from worsening further by letting aid in and halting their offensive operations, he added.”
The spokesperson added that each leaders “agreed that the hostages who were cruelly ripped by Hamas from their families nearly two years ago must be released” whereas Sir Keir supplied his condolences for the terrorist assault in Jerusalem on Monday.
Sir Keir concluded by saying the UK and Israel have been “long-standing allies”, and he would “continue his work to secure an enduring peace and a better future for the Israeli and Palestinian people alike”.
Speaking at an occasion hosted by the Chatham House suppose tank, Mr Herzog stated he had supplied “a fact-finding mission coming to Israel, sitting with us and studying the situation in Gaza on the humanitarian level”, including that Israel “have full answers and we are fully transparent.”
Mr Herzog additionally defended Israel’s assault on Qatar, claiming that Israel did need a ceasefire with Hamas however arguing it was essential to “remove some of the people if they are not willing to get that deal”.
The Israeli president added that the pair had “argued out of respect”, he famous there have been “things we agreed upon”, such because the menace from Iran and the necessity to finish Hamas’s management of Gaza.
Israel has confronted worldwide condemnation following its strike on Qatar – and extra broadly for its intensified assaults on Gaza – which has led to European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen asserting plans to hunt sanctions and a partial commerce suspension in opposition to Israel over its navy marketing campaign in Gaza.
Hamas confirmed on Tuesday that 5 of its members died, together with Hammam, the son of exiled chief Khalil al-Hayya and Jihad Labad, the director of al-Hayya’s workplace, the remaining three have been listed as “companions”. The militant group stated Israel “failed” to kill anybody within the negotiating crew.
The Qatari inside ministry later stated a member of its inner safety service – Corporal Badr al-Dosari – was killed within the strike and numerous others have been injured.
UN secretary basic Antonio Guterres condemned the bombing, saying “all parties must work towards achieving a permanent ceasefire, not destroying it.”
https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/keir-starmer-israeli-president-qatar-airstrikes-unacceptable-b2824283.html