Starmer faces call to ‘sit this one out' on Gaza amid US-UK ‘disagreement'
Washington's ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee also suggested that Sir Keir would have lost Britain the Second World War, had he been in No 10 at the time.
Earlier on Friday, US vice president JD Vance described a 'disagreement' about how the US and UK could achieve their 'common objectives' in the Middle East, and said Donald Trump's administration had 'no plans to recognise a Palestinian state'.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office has unveiled new principles for military action which include 'the demilitarisation of the Gaza Strip', 'Israeli security control in the Gaza Strip' and 'the establishment of an alternative civil administration that is neither Hamas nor the Palestinian Authority'.
The Israel Defence Forces 'will prepare for taking control of Gaza City while distributing humanitarian assistance to the civilian population outside the combat zones'.
After Sir Keir described the decision as being 'wrong' and called for a 'surge in humanitarian aid', Mr Huckabee wrote: 'So Israel is expected to surrender to Hamas and feed them even though Israeli hostages are being starved?
'Did UK surrender to Nazis and drop food to them? Ever heard of Dresden, PM Starmer?
'That wasn't food you dropped. If you had been PM then UK would be speaking German.'
In a follow-up post, the ambassador suggested Sir Keir 'ought to sit this one out'.
In a statement, Sir Keir had said: 'The Israeli government's decision to further escalate its offensive in Gaza is wrong, and we urge it to reconsider immediately.
'This action will do nothing to bring an end to this conflict or to help secure the release of the hostages. It will only bring more bloodshed.
'Every day the humanitarian crisis in Gaza worsens and hostages taken by Hamas are being held in appalling and inhuman conditions.
'What we need is a ceasefire, a surge in humanitarian aid, the release of all hostages by Hamas and a negotiated solution.
'Hamas can play no part in the future of Gaza and must leave as well as disarm.
'Together with our allies, we are working on a long-term plan to secure peace in the region as part of a two-state solution, and ultimately achieve a brighter future for Palestinians and Israelis.
'But without both sides engaging in good faith negotiations, that prospect is vanishing before our eyes.'
How much food has Starmer and the UK sent to Gaza? @IsraeliPM has already sent 2 MILLION TONS into Gaza & none of it even getting to hostages. Maybe UK PM ought to sit this one out & follow Arab League who said Hamas should disarm & release ALL hostages immediately.
— Ambassador Mike Huckabee (@GovMikeHuckabee) August 8, 2025
Sir Keir has pledged to recognise a Palestinian state in September unless the Israeli government meets a series of conditions towards ending the war in Gaza.
These include taking 'substantive steps to end the appalling situation in Gaza', 'agreeing to a ceasefire, and making clear there will be no annexations in the West Bank'.
At Foreign Secretary David Lammy's grace-and-favour retreat in Kent, Mr Vance said the UK 'is going to make its decision' on Palestinian recognition.
'We have no plans to recognise a Palestinian state,' he said.
'I don't know what it would mean to really recognise a Palestinian state given the lack of functional government there.'
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Western Telegraph
27 minutes ago
- Western Telegraph
Al Jazeera correspondents among journalists killed in Gaza City air strike
Anas al-Sharif and his Al Jazeera colleague Mohamed Qureiqa were among those killed while sheltering outside the Gaza City Hospital complex late on Sunday. Officials at Shifa Hospital confirmed the deaths and said the strike also killed four other journalists and two other people. It also damaged the entrance to the hospital complex's emergency building. People inspect the destroyed tent where journalists, including Al Jazeera correspondents Anas al-Sharif and Mohamed Qureiqa, were killed by an Israeli air strike (AP Photo/Jehad Alshrafi) Israel's military described Mr al-Sharif as the leader of a Hamas cell – an allegation that Al Jazeera and Mr al-Sharif had previously dismissed as baseless. The incident marked the first time during the war that Israel's military has swiftly claimed responsibility after a journalist was killed in a strike. It came less than a year after Israeli army officials first accused Mr al-Sharif and other Al Jazeera journalists of being members of the militant groups Hamas and Islamic Jihad. In a July 24 video, Israel's army spokesman Avichay Adraee attacked Al Jazeera and accused Mr al-Sharif of being part of Hamas's military wing. Al Jazeera called the strike a 'targeted assassination' and accused Israeli officials of incitement, connecting Mr al-Sharif's death to the allegations that both the broadcaster and correspondent had denied. 'Anas and his colleagues were among the last remaining voices from within Gaza, providing the world with unfiltered, on-the-ground coverage of the devastating realities endured by its people,' Al Jazeera said in a statement. The journalists are the latest to be killed in what observers have called the deadliest conflict for journalists in modern times (AP Photo/Jehad Alshrafi) Mr al-Sharif reported a nearby bombardment minutes before his death. In a social media post that Al Jazeera said was written to be posted in case of his death, he bemoaned the devastation and destruction that war had wrought and bid farewell to his wife, son and daughter. 'I never hesitated for a single day to convey the truth as it is, without distortion or falsification,' the 28-year-old wrote. The journalists are the latest to be killed in what observers have called the deadliest conflict for journalists in modern times. The Committee to Protect Journalists said on Sunday that at least 186 have been killed in Gaza. Mr al-Sharif began reporting for Al Jazeera a few days after war broke out. He was known for reporting on Israel's bombardment in northern Gaza, and later for the starvation gripping much of the territory's population. In a July broadcast he cried on air as a woman behind him collapsed from hunger. 'I am talking about slow death of those people,' he said at the time. Al Jazeera is blocked in Israel and soldiers raided its offices in the occupied West Bank last year, ordering them to close. Mr al-Sharif's death comes weeks after the New York-based Committee to Protect Journalists said Israel had targeted him with a smear campaign. 'Israel's pattern of labelling journalists as militants without providing credible evidence raises serious questions about its intent and respect for press freedom,' Sara Qudah, the group's regional director, said.
The Guardian
42 minutes ago
- The Guardian
Al Jazeera's Anas al-Sharif among five journalists killed by Israel in Gaza
Seven people were killed in the attack on Sunday, including Sharif, the Al Jazeera correspondent Mohammed Qreiqeh and camera operators Ibrahim Zaher, Mohammed Noufal and Moamen Aliwa, according to the Qatar-based broadcaster. Last month, a spokesperson for the Israel Defense Forces, Avichay Adraee, shared a video of Sharif on X and accused him of being a member of Hamas's military wing. At the time the UN special rapporteur on freedom of expression, Irene Khan, called it 'an unsubstantiated claim' and a 'blatant assault on journalists'
Western Telegraph
43 minutes ago
- Western Telegraph
Al Jazeera correspondent among journalists killed in Gaza City air strike
Anas al-Sharif and his Al Jazeera colleague Mohamed Qureiqa were among those killed while sheltering outside the Gaza City Hospital complex late on Sunday. Officials at Shifa Hospital confirmed the deaths and said the strike also killed four other journalists and two other people. It also damaged the entrance to the hospital complex's emergency building. People inspect the destroyed tent where journalists, including Al Jazeera correspondents Anas al-Sharif and Mohamed Qureiqa, were killed by an Israeli air strike (AP Photo/Jehad Alshrafi) Israel's military described Mr al-Sharif as the leader of a Hamas cell – an allegation that Al Jazeera and Mr al-Sharif had previously dismissed as baseless. The incident marked the first time during the war that Israel's military has swiftly claimed responsibility after a journalist was killed in a strike. It came less than a year after Israeli army officials first accused Mr al-Sharif and other Al Jazeera journalists of being members of the militant groups Hamas and Islamic Jihad. In a July 24 video, Israel's army spokesman Avichay Adraee attacked Al Jazeera and accused Mr al-Sharif of being part of Hamas's military wing. Al Jazeera called the strike a 'targeted assassination' and accused Israeli officials of incitement, connecting Mr al-Sharif's death to the allegations that both the broadcaster and correspondent had denied. 'Anas and his colleagues were among the last remaining voices from within Gaza, providing the world with unfiltered, on-the-ground coverage of the devastating realities endured by its people,' Al Jazeera said in a statement. The journalists are the latest to be killed in what observers have called the deadliest conflict for journalists in modern times (AP Photo/Jehad Alshrafi) Mr al-Sharif reported a nearby bombardment minutes before his death. In a social media post that Al Jazeera said was written to be posted in case of his death, he bemoaned the devastation and destruction that war had wrought and bid farewell to his wife, son and daughter. 'I never hesitated for a single day to convey the truth as it is, without distortion or falsification,' the 28-year-old wrote. The journalists are the latest to be killed in what observers have called the deadliest conflict for journalists in modern times. The Committee to Protect Journalists said on Sunday that at least 186 have been killed in Gaza. Mr al-Sharif began reporting for Al Jazeera a few days after war broke out. He was known for reporting on Israel's bombardment in northern Gaza, and later for the starvation gripping much of the territory's population. In a July broadcast he cried on air as a woman behind him collapsed from hunger. 'I am talking about slow death of those people,' he said at the time. Al Jazeera is blocked in Israel and soldiers raided its offices in the occupied West Bank last year, ordering them to close. Mr al-Sharif's death comes weeks after the New York-based Committee to Protect Journalists said Israel had targeted him with a smear campaign. 'Israel's pattern of labelling journalists as militants without providing credible evidence raises serious questions about its intent and respect for press freedom,' Sara Qudah, the group's regional director, said.
