Sadiq Khan pressures Starmer to recognise Palestinian state

Daily Mail​

2 days ago

Sir Sadiq Khan today broke cover to demand Keir Starmer recognise a Palestinian state as Labour ministers urge the PM to take tougher action to prevent Israeli attacks on civilians in Gaza . The London mayor warned that there might not be much left of Palestine to make into a state if global leaders do not pressure Benjamin Netanyahu to halt the bloodshed.
Sir Keir is also facing internal demands to act after Israel was accused of the 'inhumane killing' of starving civilians queuing for food, according to the Guardian . The UN food agency said the IDF fired on a crowd of Palestinians seeking humanitarian aid over the weekend.
But Sir Sadiq has publicly spoken out ahead of two potentially difficult summer visits to the UK by Donald Trump , a close ally of Israeli PM Netanyahu. The US president, who arrived in Scotland tomorrow for a private visit to his golf courses, has suggested turning Gaza into a tourist resort while evicting its Palestinian population. So far Sir Keir has resisted calls to recognise Palestine. But Wes Streeting is among those who have demanded it this week, echoing Sir Sadiq's argument.
In a statement today Sir Sadiq said: 'The absolutely harrowing scenes of suffering in Gaza are being made worse by the day, with no sign of the crisis abating. Starving children searching hopelessly for food in the rubble, family members shot dead by Israeli soldiers as they search for aid... 'There can be no two state solution if there is no viable state left to call Palestine.' On Monday Mr Lammy and his counterparts from 24 other nations including France, Canada and Australia urged Israel to lift restrictions on the flow of aid into Gaza in a joint statement.
He toured broadcast studios on Tuesday morning, after having condemned in the House of Commons the 'grotesque spectacle' which Palestinians have been subject to. Asked by ITV's Good Morning Britain what more he planned to do if Israel did not agree to end the conflict, the Foreign Secretary replied: 'Well, we've announced a raft of sanctions over the last few months. 'There will be more, clearly, and we keep all of those options under consideration if we do not see a change in behaviour and the suffering that we are seeing come to an end.
'It's important that we continue to work with international partners if we are to have the maximum result. 'But what I want to see is a ceasefire and it's my assessment that once the Knesset rises on July 28, we are more likely to see a ceasefire come into effect.' Israel claimed the statement from foreign ministers was 'disconnected from reality' and 'sends the wrong message to Hamas'.
Before the Common rose for its summer break yesterday Mr Streeting was asked by Labour backbencher Jas Athwal about reports that Israel has attacked World Health Organisation facilities in Deir al-Balah, compromising operations. The Health Secretary told MPs: 'I deplore Israel's attacks on healthcare workers, as well as other innocent civilians trying to access healthcare or vital aid. 'These actions go well beyond legitimate self-defence and undermine the prospects for peace.
'I will be in touch with the World Health Organisation to offer my support following the intolerable incident yesterday and I sincerely hope that the international community can come together, as the Foreign Secretary has been driving towards, to make sure that we see an end to this war, but also the recognition of the state of Palestine while there's still a state of Palestine left to recognise.' Earlier this month Mr Macron used a state visit to the UK to press for recognition of Palestinian statehood in an address to Parliament, saying it was the 'only path to peace'.
The French president said a ceasefire was a matter of 'absolute urgency' and that a two-state solution would bring security to the region. In June, Mr Lammy announced that two ministers in Benjamin Netanyahu's government would be subject to sanctions by the UK: Bezalel Smotrich and Itamar Ben-Gvir. The Israeli finance and security ministers were sanctioned for inciting violence against the Palestinians.
Mr Lammy later also told BBC Breakfast he was using language not usually employed by a foreign secretary, who is effectively Britain's chief diplomat. Asked for his personal reaction to the scenes in Gaza, the Foreign Secretary told BBC Breakfast: 'I feel the same as the British public: appalled, sickened. I described what I saw, yesterday in Parliament, as grotesque.' He added: 'These are not words that are usually used by a foreign secretary who is attempting to be diplomatic, but when you see innocent children holding out their hand for food, and you see them shot and killed in the way that we have seen in the last few days, of course Britain must call it out.'
Liberal Democrat leader Sir Ed Davey urged the Government to swiftly bring in new sanctions against Israel. He said: 'The Foreign Secretary must realise that we're past the point of threatening sanctions. We need sanctions now, including against Netanyahu and the IDF generals leading the military campaigns in Gaza. 'Every day the Government sits on its hands, more innocent civilians are being killed while over a million are at risk of starvation. Meanwhile, the hostages held by Hamas are no closer to being freed. This is utterly intolerable.'
The Lib Dem leader also insisted the UK must halt all arms sales to Israel, adding: 'That must include stemming the flow of UK fighter jet parts to Israel.' Hamas-led militants abducted 251 people in the October 7 attack in 2023 that triggered the war and killed around 1,200 people. Fewer than half of the 50 hostages still in Gaza are believed to be alive. Israel's retaliatory offensive has killed more than 55,000 Palestinians, according to Gaza's Health Ministry, which says women and children make up more than half of the dead. It does not distinguish between civilians and combatants.