Shame on you, Starmer! Freed British-Israeli hostage leads victims of October 7 atrocity in condemning Sir Keir's move to recognise a Palestinian state

Daily Mail​

a day ago

Victims of the October 7 atrocities have told Keir Starmer there can be no recognition of a Palestinian state until every hostage is free.
Sir Keir's decision to threaten Israel by offering statehood – while terror group Hamas still rules the Gaza Strip and holds 50 captives – sparked further ferocious backlash.
An official with Hamas responded to the PM's announcement by joyfully proclaiming that 'victory is closer than we expected'.
But freed British-Israeli hostage Emily Damari led the condemnation of the decision. She warned it 'risks rewarding terror', accusing Sir Keir of a 'moral failure' and being 'on the wrong side of history'.
'By legitimising a state entity while Hamas still controls Gaza and continues its campaign of terror, the Prime Minister is not promoting a solution; he is prolonging the conflict,' she said.
'Recognition under these conditions emboldens extremists and undermines any hope for genuine peace. Shame on you.'
Irish-born Thomas Hand, whose then eight-year-old daughter Emily was kidnapped by Hamas, also hit out at Sir Keir following French president Emmanuel Macron's lead in pledging to recognise a Palestinian state.
He told the Mail: 'There should be absolutely no Palestinian state until the last hostage is released. This is what Starmer and Macron should be saying.'
On Wednesday night opposition was spreading beyond the hostage families to Labour's own benches. Veteran MP Graham Stringer, a member of Labour Friends of Israel, said: 'We're a long way from a two-state solution.
'Until Hamas gives back the people they're holding hostage then I don't think we should be making any moves towards that. The truth is I don't think it will make any difference whatsoever, apart from we will be treated as not a reliable ally.'
Sir Keir bowed to internal Labour pressure on Tuesday and said the UK would recognise a Palestinian state before a meeting of the UN in September unless Israel agrees a ceasefire and drops opposition to a two-state solution.
It represented a major diplomatic shift, put Britain at odds with Washington and sparked a furious response from Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu.
US President Donald Trump said if Sir Keir follows through, he is 'rewarding Hamas'. Mr Netanyahu warned: 'A jihadist state on Israel's border today will threaten Britain tomorrow.'
The Labour leader made the announcement amid mounting anger in his party over his stance on the conflict in Gaza following appalling images of starvation there.
After an emergency Cabinet meeting, Sir Keir said the 'terrible suffering' in Gaza meant it was 'the moment to act' to inject life into a peace process that has been on hold since October 7.
Hamas welcomed his announcement. The terror group's former health minister Basem Naim told the Telegraph: 'The international support for Palestinian self-determination shows we are moving in the right direction. Victory and liberation are closer than we expected.'
Hamas sparked the war by slaughtering 1,200 Israelis and taking 251 hostages on October 7, 2023. Of the 50 still held, some 20 are believed to be alive.
Despite being pummelled by Israel at a catastrophic cost to civilians – the Hamas-run health ministry claims 60,000 dead – it refuses to free the hostages and surrender. Sir Keir is accused of appearing to legitimise their rule.
Ms Damari, 29, who last week told the Mail how she was sometimes held in a tiny cage underground during 471 days in captivity, took to social media to vent her fury. She said: 'This is not diplomacy – it is a moral failure.'
Mr Hand said: 'The Government is trying to force Israel to make a peace deal with Hamas murderers, kidnappers and rapists.
'They kidnapped my eight-year-old daughter for 50 days, murdered my ex-wife along with one hundred of my friends… and this is the result? Incredible.'
Sir Ephraim Mirvis, Chief Rabbi of the UK, said the move 'fundamentally undermines the cause of peace and security for Palestinians and Israelis alike'.
Lawyer Adam Rose, who represents the families of seven hostages with British links, warned: 'The families are deeply concerned that the hostages have been made a bargaining chip by the UK.'
Steve Brisley, whose British sister Lianne Sharabi and nieces Noiya, 16, and Yahel, 13, were murdered by Hamas while their father Eli was taken hostage, said: 'I am absolutely shocked … that it is not a clear precondition to any discussion about support for a state of Palestine that Hamas releases all the hostages.'
In a post on X, the Israeli PM said: 'Appeasement towards jihadist terrorists always fails. It will fail you too. It will not happen'
While Sir Keir reiterated his calls for Hamas to free the hostages, he did not explicitly say this is required for recognising Palestinian statehood. Pressed on this, Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander said: 'This isn't about Hamas. This is about delivering for the Palestinian people and making sure that we can get aid in.'
Q&A
What does the recognition mean?
It is largely a symbolic step that would placate many Labour MPs while angering Israel and the US. But it would enhance Palestinians' international standing by acknowledging their right to self-determination.
In practical terms, it would allow the establishment of full diplomatic relations with a Palestinian ambassador in London, where there is currently merely a mission to the UK, and a British counterpart in Palestine.
Where would the borders be?
The UK has not spelled out what it would consider to be the territory of the new state. Palestinians want control over the areas they lived in before the Six-Day War of 1967 when Israel defeated a coalition of Arab countries to seize the Golan Heights, the West Bank including East Jerusalem, and the Sinai Peninsula and Gaza Strip.
The proposed capital would be in East Jerusalem, which is occupied by Israel. As well as opposing the two-state solution, Israel is increasing the size of
Jewish settlements in occupied territories.
Why has Starmer announced it now?
He has come under increasing pressure from Labour backbenchers and even members of his Cabinet to act as conditions in Gaza have worsened. Emmanuel Macron's announcement last week that France would recognise Palestine in September at the UN General Assembly in New York made it even harder for Sir Keir to resist.
He may also have taken heart from Donald Trump's failure to object when they met in Scotland this week.
What are the conditions?
Sir Keir said he will make the move unless Israel takes 'substantive steps' to end the 'appalling situation' in Gaza, agrees to a ceasefire, commits to a sustainable peace and allows the UN to restart the supply of aid. Hamas has been urged to release the remaining hostages, sign up to a ceasefire and accept it will not play a part in the running of Gaza.
Will all these conditions be met?
The Government will assess progress by Israel and Hamas in September. However, peace talks between the two ended last week without any progress, while Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu opposes the two-state solution to which Sir Keir wants him to commit. Therefore, it is likely that the UK will recognise the Palestinian state in September.