UK working with Jordan on Gaza aid drops, PM tells Macron and Merz
THE UK is working with Jordan on plans to air drop aid into Gaza and evacuate children needing medical assistance, Keir Starmer has confirmed in a call with French and German counterparts.
In a readout of the call, Number 10 said the leaders had agreed 'it would be vital to ensure robust plans are in place to turn an urgently-needed ceasefire into lasting peace'.
READ MORE: Keir Starmer defers recognising Palestine amid pressure from 221 MPs and Macron
'The Prime Minister set out how the UK will also be taking forward plans to work with partners such as Jordan to air drop aid and evacuate children requiring medical assistance,' a Downing Street spokesperson said.
However, the head of the UN's Palestinian refugee agency warned airdrops were 'a distraction and a smokescreen' that would fail to reverse deepening starvation in Gaza, and could "kill starving civilians".
UNRWA chief Philippe Lazzarini said on Twitter/X Saturday: 'A man-made hunger can only be addressed by political will. Lift the siege, open the gates and guarantee safe movements and dignified access to people in need.'
Israel said on Friday it will allow airdrops of aid by foreign countries into Gaza to alleviate starvation in the Palestinian territory, where there is widespread devastation.
The readout made no mention of the issue of Palestinian statehood, which the Prime Minister has faced calls to immediately recognise after French President Macron confirmed his country would do so in September.
Starmer has faced criticism for the move, with MP Zarah Sultana writing on Twitter/X that he "belongs in The Hague" over his complicity in the ongoing genocide.
READ MORE: 'He belongs in The Hague': Keir Starmer fiercely criticised over Gaza speech
Downing Street said the leaders had committed to 'work closely together on a plan' to 'pave the way to a long-term solution and security in the region'.
Once the proposals have been 'worked up', they will seek to advance them with other key partners, including in the region, the readout said.
Some 221 MPs from Labour, the Conservatives, Liberal Democrats, SNP, Greens, Plaid Cymru, SDLP and independents have signed a letter pressuring the Government to follow suit at a UN meeting next week.
Donald Trump suggested Macron's announcement, which saw him commit to formally recognising Palestinian sovereignty at the UN General Assembly in September, 'doesn't matter' as he left the US for a visit to Scotland.
Sarah Champion, the senior Labour MP who organised the letter by parliamentarians, said recognition 'would send a powerful symbolic message that we support the rights of the Palestinian people'.
Other senior Commons figures who signed the letter include Labour select committee chairs Liam Byrne, Dame Emily Thornberry and Ruth Cadbury.
Lib Dem leader Ed Davey, as well as Tory former minister Kit Malthouse, and Sir Edward Leigh – Parliament's longest-serving MP – also signed it.
The majority of those who have signed, 131, are Labour MPs.
The Government has so far said its immediate focus is on getting aid into the territory and insisted that recognising sovereignty must be done as part of a peace process.
READ MORE: 'Not in our name': Hundreds gather in Scottish cities to protest Donald Trump
Charities operating in Gaza have said Israel's blockade and ongoing military offensive are pushing people there towards starvation, warning that they are seeing their own workers and Palestinians 'waste away'.
Starmer is expected to meet with Trump during his visit to Scotland.
US-led peace talks in Qatar were cut short on Thursday, with Washington's special envoy Steve Witkoff accusing Hamas of a 'lack of desire to reach a ceasefire'.
The deal under discussion is expected to include a 60-day ceasefire in which Hamas would release 10 living hostages and the remains of 18 others in phases in exchange for Palestinians imprisoned by Israel.
Aid supplies would be ramped up negotiations would be held on a lasting truce.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Guardian
28 minutes ago
- The Guardian
Trump acknowledges ‘real starvation' in Gaza and tells Israel to let in ‘every ounce of food'
Donald Trump told Israel to allow 'every ounce of food' into Gaza as he acknowledged for the first time that there is 'real starvation' in the region. During a visit to Britain, the US president contradicted Benjamin Netanyahu after the Israeli prime minister claimed it was a 'bold-faced lie' to say Israel was causing hunger in Gaza. Trump is under increasing pressure to intervene in the humanitarian crisis, with dozens of Palestinians having died of hunger in recent weeks in a crisis attributed by the UN and other humanitarian organisations to Israel's blockade of almost all aid into the territory. In meetings with Keir Starmer – including a rambling 70-minute press conference at Trump's Turnberry golf resort in Scotland – the president also said he was losing patience with Vladimir Putin over the war in Ukraine and vowed to impose sanctions on Russia's trading partners within 10-12 days if there was no ceasefire. He heaped praise on Starmer, but in a domestic intervention that will not have been appreciated by the British prime minister, Trump urged him to cut taxes and tackle illegal immigration to win the next election. Starmer privately pressed Trump on Gaza during the trip, government sources said. The US president told reporters that Israel bore 'a lot of responsibility' for the crisis in a rebuke to Netanyahu, who had claimed earlier on Monday that there was 'no starvation in Gaza'. Asked whether he agreed with this assessment, Trump said: 'I don't know. Based on television, I would say not particularly, because those children look very hungry.' He later added: 'We can save a lot of people, I mean some of those kids. That's real starvation; I see it and you can't fake that. So we're going to be even more involved.' Asked what he would ask Netanyahu for next time they spoke, Trump said: 'We're giving money and we're giving food, but we're over here … I want him to make sure they get the food. I want to make sure they get the food, every ounce of food.' Trump criticised Hamas for not releasing the remaining hostages and said the militant group was 'very difficult to deal with', while suggesting he had asked the Israeli government to change its approach. 'I told Israel, I told Bibi, that you have to now maybe do it a different way,' he said. The president was speaking before a bilateral meeting with Starmer, who flew to Ayrshire to meet him on Monday. The two leaders were due to visit Trump's second golf course in Aberdeenshire and have dinner together on Monday evening. Trump said he was 'very disappointed' with Putin and was 'not so interested in talking to him any more' because of his decision to continue airstrikes against civilian targets in Ukraine. 'We thought we had that settled numerous times, and then President Putin goes out and starts launching rockets into some city like Kyiv and kills a lot of people in a nursing home or whatever,' Trump said. 'You have bodies lying all over the street, and I say that's not the way to do it.' Trump said he would cut his 50-day deadline for a ceasefire to between 10 and 12 days before he imposed secondary sanctions on Russia's trading partners. He piled pressure on Starmer to cut taxes and immigration, calling the prime minister and Nigel Farage, the leader of Reform UK, 'good men'. 'I assume there's a thing going on between you and Nigel and that's OK,' Trump said. 'But generally speaking, the one who cuts taxes the most, the one who gives you the lowest energy prices and the best kind of energy, the one that keeps you out of wars … I think the one that's toughest and most competent on immigration is going to win the election.' Speaking alongside Trump, Starmer told the press conference that the British public were 'revolted' at the 'absolute catastrophe' in Gaza and said there was an urgent need for a ceasefire. Israel announced over the weekend that it would suspend fighting in three areas of Gaza for 10 hours a day and open secure routes for aid delivery, while the UK confirmed it was working with Jordan to carry out airdrops into the territory. However on Monday at least 25 Palestinians were killed, including four children, when Israeli troops opened fire on people seeking aid from a truck convoy passing through the southern Gaza Strip, according to health officials and witnesses. There was no immediate comment from the Israeli military. Aid agencies say the new measures are not enough to counter worsening starvation in the territory. Martin Penner, a spokesperson for the UN food agency, told the Associated Press that all 55 of its aid trucks that entered on Monday were looted by starving people before they reached world food programme warehouses. Another UN official said nothing on the ground has changed and no alternative routes were allowed. In total at least 78 Palestinians were killed by Israeli strikes or gunfire on Monday, local health officials said, including a pregnant woman and her baby, who was delivered after her death but also died. Starmer is due to convene an emergency cabinet meeting on the humanitarian crisis in Gaza on Tuesday afternoon. Ministers will be presented with a peace plan which the UK is working up alongside France and Germany. The prime minister is under pressure from senior cabinet ministers and more than 220 MPs to immediately recognise Palestine as a state, after Emmanuel Macron announced that France would do so at the UN general assembly in September. Trump dismissed the idea on Monday but suggested he had no objection to the UK or other allies doing so. Trump also said the US and its allies would set up 'walk-in' food centres without barriers in the region, though he gave little detail about how these would operate. On Monday afternoon, about 100 protesters gathered in Balmedie, the closest village to Trump's Aberdeenshire golf course, waving Palestinian flags and chanting: 'You are not welcome here.' Kay Collin, a retired modern studies teacher, said she had made the trip from Edinburgh because 'watching what is happening in Gaza, if it was happening to my grandchildren I would hope other people would stand up for them'. While many people cited the starvation crisis in Gaza as the most urgent reason for their protest, Trump's policies on immigration, transgender rights and cuts to international aid, and there were placards and chants accusing him of misogyny and bullying behaviour. Jenna Harpin, a mother of four from Portsoy, said she was 'disgusted' at how much money was being spent by the Scottish and UK governments on hosting Trump's visit, especially at a time when local councils were making cuts to vital services. The protesters marched through the village as the police presence swelled in anticipation of Trump's arrival. Local access had been significantly restricted with lines of police officers blocking off the beach and snipers spotted on the dunes.
Scotsman
43 minutes ago
- Scotsman
Readers' Letters: Trump's visit shows who the real King is these days
Donald Trump is showing European leaders who's boss, claims reader Sign up to our daily newsletter – Regular news stories and round-ups from around Scotland direct to your inbox Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know with a Digital Subscription to The Scotsman, you can get unlimited access to the website including our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more. Learn More Sorry, there seem to be some issues. Please try again later. Submitting... The visit by President Donald Trump has conveyed one important but overdue lesson and that is the emptiness of claims that the UK has significance in today's world. Instead, the true King of Kings rolls into one of his dominions, at our expense, to visit a new palace at Menie, and graciously agrees to meet minor dignitaries like Keir Starmer as long as they obey on issues such as the slaughter of children in Gaza, the demonisation of Iran and the doomed attempt to keep China in its box. Our Prime Minister, of course, bows the knee in pursuit of trading advantage. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad In this he is not alone. The royal progress includes acts of obeisance from the EEC's Ursula von der Leyen and possibly our First Minister, though he at least may have something to say on Gaza so long as it does not affect the tariff on whisky. US President Donald Trump greets Prime Minister Keir Starmer and his wife Victoria at Trump Turnberry golf club yesterday (Picture:) James Scott, Edinburgh Change the signs Over the last 20 years, a new heterodoxy has prevailed. It has entered various part of society in all parts of the UK and the rest of the west as well. For example, guilt over sins of which we are entirely innocent, but of which some people's ancestors may have been guilty is aimed at the whole of society, and 'black lives matter' became so all-powerful that the English women's football team has apparently only just stopped 'taking the knee', which expressed atonement for the sins of American society, not ours! A new orthodoxy has found its way into 'new age' thinking and, along with other strands of thought – climate change, for example – became the new truths. Heaven help you if you disagreed, because 'the science is settled', even if science is never settled. If men decide that they are women, then they are women. Sixteen year-olds are adults, even when they can't buy cigarettes or alcohol, fight in wars or stand for Parliament, except when they aren't, when it suits the party that hopes to benefit by pretending that they are (no names, no pack-drill, Labour and SNP). Remember legal guardians to the age of 18? Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Now, Museums Galleries Scotland (your report, 28 July) claim that the Supreme Court ruling on sex and gender could mean that museums may have to close because trans people, may have 'no facilities at all'. Under the Equality Act of 2010, all such places are required by law to provide disabled lavatories. So, either they are breaking the law by not providing such lavatories, or they are not prepared to put the words 'disabled and gender-neutral/trans lavatory' on the door. Peter Hopkins, Edinburgh Injustice today Having published a hugely expensive report looking at slavery which took place hundreds of years ago against victims now long dead, Edinburgh University Principal Sir Peter Mathieson has pledged to take action, insisting that 'meaningful change' will occur and that the institution will 'learn from and repair its past'. Amid this apparent desire to appropriate the moral high ground, the University's deafening silence on current day human rights abuses, which it has complicitly supported lest it upset wealthy dictatorships, cannot go unmentioned. The University was quick to jump on the Black Lives Matter bandwagon in 2020, apologising for the death of George Floyd; it has, however, failed to condemn the Chinese government's genocidal campaign of ethnic cleansing against Uighur Muslims. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Nor did Sir Peter Mathieson issue a message of support for pro-democracy campaigners in Hong Kong, despite the many hundreds of Hong Kong students at Edinburgh. The University's acceptance of £16 million from a Saudi Arabian billionaire prince to fund Islamic studies, and the acceptance of cash from the Kremlin-backed Russkiy Mir Foundation to fund Edinburgh's Princess Dashkova Russian Centre simply confirms that for Edinburgh University its easier to virtue signal when referring to the past, rather than taking action in 2025 to support real human rights improvements. David Tan, Edinburgh Sum problems June's figures for public sector borrowing came in at £20.7 billion, well above the OBR's forecast and City expectations. What's more, £16.4bn of this was accounted for by debt interest payments. Yes, that's right: £16.4bn in one month. We are borrowing vast sums to pay the interest on past borrowings of vast sums. The time has come for a national referendum on government borrowing. Doug Clark, Currie, Midlothian Respect for all Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Following The Scotsman's recent reports about the Sandie Peggie case, it appears that the relevant staff in NHS Fife have very old-fashioned attitudes towards the medical profession, with the belief that a doctor's word is infallible. Sixty years ago, when I was training, the belief that a doctor could do no wrong was gradually being challenged and, as young nurses, we were taught to question anything we were unsure about. While fully respecting the skill, training and expertise by all members of the medical team we worked together for the greater good of the patients. We also understood that we were all human beings and as such were capable of errors of judgment, vanity, arrogance or even deceit, as qualifications do not ensure perfection. The people who automatically condemned Nurse Peggie have shown their disrespect towards her, her unblemished years of work and to the nursing profession when, without further investigation, they decided a doctor's word was paramount. NHS Fife should be ashamed of the way they have treated a valuable and long-standing member of their staff. Dr Upton claims to be female and claims discrimination due to gender recognition issues. There must be an area available for a separate changing facility to deal with these problems so that everyone can get on with the work they should be doing with mutual acceptance and respect. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad It is very perturbing to learn that, in an effort to maintain political correctness, some of the professional witnesses in this debacle feel unsure of of the gender that they were born with. I can't help wondering – if there were special benefits given to all redheads would I qualify if I dyed my aging locks? J Main, Elgin, Moray Water history In his paean of praise of water in Scotland I am surprised Stan Grodynski (Letters, 28 July), with his reference to Enlightenment figures (who must have got hydrated using water-caddies and taken action whenever they heard the cry of gardyloo!) does not mention another piece of Scottish history, the mid-19th century building of an aqueduct and tunnels from Loch Katrine to Glasgow, and in particular, that it spared its residents from the 1866 cholera outbreak, which killed only 68. Some 5,596 died from it in London. Maybe his silence comes from the fact that before building it, Glasgow had taken advice from experts south of the Border, Robert Stephenson and Isambard Kingdom Brunel. It should also be noted that microbiological safety did not drive its construction. Big reasons were meeting the needs of trade and increasing the number of street fire hydrants, needed to fight that good old Glasgow tradition: have an iconic building, burn it down. Hugh Pennington, Aberdeen Manx magic Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad On holiday in the Isle of Man last week, it was exhilarating to see that there was not a single ugly wind turbine blighting the spectacular landscape. Nor did we encounter any potholes anywhere on the excellent road network. At one time a Scottish possession, this thriving Crown Dependency has its own distinct identity and ancient parliament. The island's language (similar to Irish and Gàidhlig) is being revived and its official status raised. Surely our left-wing separatists, trapped in an endless cycle of bitterness and victimhood, might learn something from the Manx success story? Martin O'Gorman, Edinburgh State of play So the SNP want to jump on the French bandwagon and recognise the State of Palestine. So what is a State? It's a politically organised territory ruled by a centralised legal government. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Does that sound like Palestine? If the SNP want the best future for Palestine then you do not reward Hamas for the atrocities of October 7. The answer to such evil isn't the award of a State. A path to genuine peace relies on the expansion of the Abraham Accords, leading to a partnership between Arab States and Israel. This would lay the grounds for a future Palestinian State supported by its Arab neighbours. Lewis Finnie, Edinburgh It's a knockout The hilarity of the penalty shoot out at the Women's Euros, England v Sweden, covered by the BBC in Zurich, brought back happy memories of 'Jeux Sans Frontieres' to my generation. It also put to bed any notion that the women's game has now caught up with the men's game for quality. Yet more merriment was to come. ITV covered England v Italy in Geneva and, being oblivious and patronisingly ambivalent about the fact they were broadcasting to all four UK Nations, the commentary descended into utter ear-splitting incoherence as England got an unlikely equaliser. It was such a long way removed from the masterful restraint of the late Kenneth Wolstenholme ('there are people on the pitch' etc) Wembley 1966. John V Lloyd, Inverkeithing. Fife Write to The Scotsman
Scotsman
43 minutes ago
- Scotsman
UK out of step with international consensus on Palestinian state
Humanitarian aid is airdropped to Palestinians among the ruins of Gaza City on Monday (AP Photo/Jehad Alshrafi) The consensus to recognise Palestinian statehood is broad and cross party. Scotland's First Minister John Swinney has called for the formal recognition the state of Palestine and 221 MPs from across all parties in the UK Parliament signed a letter calling for the UK Government to take this step. Sign up to our daily newsletter Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know with a Digital Subscription to Edinburgh News, you can get unlimited access to the website including our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more. Learn More Sorry, there seem to be some issues. Please try again later. Submitting... This is a political decision with serious implications. Recognition affirms the right of the Palestinian people to self-determination and gives their representatives standing in international legal and diplomatic forums. It also opens clearer pathways for the international community to intervene, uphold humanitarian law and hold states to account. France is moving in this direction. Spain, Ireland and Norway have already taken the step. Over 140 countries worldwide now recognise Palestine as a state. The UK's position is increasingly out of step with the international consensus and with its own stated commitment to a two-state solution. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad The current scale of violence in Gaza and the West Bank reinforces the urgency. UN agencies, international courts and humanitarian organisations have provided consistent evidence of widespread destruction, displacement and loss of life. Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) has documented the collapse of medical services and repeated attacks on healthcare workers. MSF has concluded that genocide is taking place, as has Amnesty International and other reputable NGOs and individuals. The International Court of Justice has issued provisional measures in relation to allegations of genocide. These are not political claims, but formal findings and warnings issued by some of the world's most credible legal and humanitarian bodies. Israel's actions must be examined with the full force of international law. Recognition of Palestinian statehood strengthens the international legal framework. It supports the work of institutions such as the International Criminal Court and allows for greater coordination of humanitarian aid. It also gives future peace negotiations a more equal and legitimate starting point. Israel has a right to rid itself of the threat of Hamas. But when it became clear that Benjamin Netanyahu was no longer just interested in defeating Hamas and releasing the hostages but making Gaza uninhabitable, I was first in Parliament, on behalf of the Scottish Government, to condemn and call formally for an end to the disproportionate Israeli military action in Gaza. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad That position was taken at a time when UK Government ministers refused to issue the same condemnation and when the Labour leadership remained largely silent and continued to arm Israel. Delay has consequences. The longer it has taken to acknowledge the seriousness of the situation, the more difficult meaningful action has become. The Labour Party must now recognise the cost of that delay and support recognition without further hesitation. There is no credible basis for continuing to treat Palestinian statehood as a future possibility to be granted under political conditions. Legal statehood already exists in the eyes of most of the international community and under the criteria set out in international law. Recognition from the UK would reflect that reality and allow for greater diplomatic and humanitarian engagement. The Scottish Government has made its position clear. With growing international support, the UK Government now faces a choice. Recognition can help re-establish international norms, strengthen legal enforcement, and support a more sustainable approach to peace. Further delay will only weaken the UK's credibility and reduce the scope for constructive involvement. The UK has stood by for too long issuing words of condemnation, the time for action is now. Angus Robertson is SNP MSP for Edinburgh Central and Constitution, External Affairs and Culture Secretary
