Freed British hostage rebukes Keir Starmer over Palestine
Emily Damari, 28, was shot in the hand and leg when she was seized from the Kfar Aza kibbutz during the October 7 attacks. She was held captive by Hamas in a cage in tunnels underneath Gaza for 471 days before she was released during a short-lived ceasefire in January.
In a statement on social media, Damari criticised Starmer's announcement, claiming the move 'risks rewarding terror'.
She said: 'Prime Minister Starmer is not standing on the right side of history. Had he been in power during World War II, would he have advocated recognition for Nazi control of occupied countries like Holland, France, or Poland?
'This is not diplomacy — it is a moral failure. Shame on you, Prime Minister!!!!!!'
In a second post, Damari, a Tottenham Hotspur fan who has roots in south London, said the move did not 'advance peace' but 'risks rewarding terror' and sent a 'dangerous message: that violence earns legitimacy'.
She said: '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. Recognition under these conditions emboldens extremists and undermines any hope for genuine peace. Shame on you.'
• British hostage held by Hamas tells of Gaza tunnel horrors
Her comments came after the Campaign Against Antisemitism described Starmer's decision as 'morally indefensible'.
The Board of Deputies, the largest body representing British Jews, has asked the government to assure it that it will not recognise a Palestinian state until Hamas releases its Israeli hostages.
The group claimed Starmer should take Palestinian statehood off the table if the hostages were not returned by September.
A spokesman for the group said: 'This announcement sends the worst possible message: that mass murder, rape and hostage-taking are legitimate paths to diplomatic gain. This is not a step toward peace; it is a dangerous precedent. This is not about justice, peace or a negotiated two-state solution.
'Recognition of a Palestinian state should never be wielded as a political weapon. Doing so in the aftermath of an antisemitic pogrom is not only reckless, it is shameful.'
The Board of Deputies held an emergency meeting on Tuesday night to discuss the humanitarian crisis unfolding in Gaza and Starmer's announcement.
After the meeting, Phil Rosenberg, its president, said that while the group had long supported a negotiated two-state solution that ensured a secure Israel alongside a viable Palestinian state, its primary concern was to 'avoid empowering or rewarding Hamas, or giving it incentives to continue evading a ceasefire'.
He added: 'We are therefore seeking clarification that the UK government will not recognise a Palestinian state while Hamas fails to meet UK demands, including accepting a ceasefire and releasing the hostages.
'We will also continue to stress the responsibilities of the Palestinian Authority in relation to resolving the conflict, and the ongoing need to confront Iran and its proxies who remain implacably opposed to peace.'
The Board of Deputies called for Israel to address the humanitarian crisis in Gaza, allowing for a 'rapid, uninhibited and sustained increase in aid through all available channels' and for food not to be used as a weapon of war.
• Richard Spencer: Is Israel's aid U-turn making a difference in Gaza?
On Tuesday, a UN-backed monitor said famine was 'now unfolding' in Gaza, as thousands of children were malnourished and hunger-related deaths were on the rise. António Guterres, the secretary-general of the UN, said a trickle of aid into Gaza must become an ocean and that 'Palestinians in Gaza are enduring a humanitarian catastrophe of epic proportions'.
Rosenberg also reiterated his organisation's call for the hostages captured during the October 7 attacks, which killed more than 1,100 Israelis, to be returned.
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