Hostage families: Releases will play ‘no part' in UK plan to recognise Palestine
Members of four British families met with Foreign Office officials on Thursday night seeking clarification on whether conditions would also be placed on Hamas, their lawyers said in a statement.
'However, it was clear from the meeting last night that the British Government's policy will not help the hostages, and could even hurt them,' they said.
'We do not say this lightly, but it was made obvious to us at the meeting that although the conditions for recognising a Palestinian state would be assessed 'in the round' in late-September, in deciding whether to go ahead with recognition, the release or otherwise of the hostages would play no part in those considerations.
'In other words, the 'vision for peace' which the UK is pursuing… may well involve our clients' family members continuing to rot in Hamas dungeons.'
Sir Keir had said the UK would only refrain from recognising Palestine if Israel allows more aid into Gaza, stops annexing land in the West Bank, agrees to a ceasefire, and signs up to a long-term peace process over the next two months.
While he also called for Hamas to immediately release all remaining Israeli hostages, sign up to a ceasefire, disarm and 'accept that they will play no part in the government of Gaza', he did not explicitly say these would factor into whether recognition would go ahead.
The families have a range of views on what the future political settlement should look like but their priority is to keep the hostages 'above political games,' their lawyers said.
They are now urging the Prime Minister to 'change course before it is too late'.
'At a minimum, the British hostage families request that the Government confirm that without the hostages being released, there can be no peace, and that this will be an important part of its decision as to whether to proceed with recognition and its current plan.'
Sir Keir said that he 'particularly' listens to hostages after criticism of his plans from Emily Damari, a British-Israeli who was held captive by Hamas.
The families of Ms Damari and freed hostage Eli Sharabi were among those who met with the Foreign Office.
Also present were relatives of Nadav Popplewell, who died while held captive, as well as those of Oded Lifshitz, who died, and Yocheved Lifschitz, who was released.
Business Secretary Jonathan Reynolds has said that the UK will not get into a 'to and fro' with Hamas over the recognition plans and that 'we don't negotiate with terrorists, Hamas are terrorists'.
US President Donald Trump disagrees with Sir Keir's plans, as well as those of France and Canada, which have also pledged their countries will recognise Palestine.
'He feels as though that's rewarding Hamas at a time where Hamas is the true impediment to a ceasefire and to the release of all of the hostages,' White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Leader Live
18 minutes ago
- Leader Live
Hezbollah threatens to resume firing at Israel if it intensifies Lebanon action
Naim Kassem's comments came as Lebanon's Cabinet was meeting to discuss Hezbollah's disarmament. Beirut is under US pressure to disarm the group that recently fought a 14-month war with Israel and was left gravely weakened, with many of its political and military leaders dead. Since the war ended in November with a US-brokered ceasefire, Hezbollah officials have said the group will not discuss its disarmament until Israel withdraws from five hills it controls inside Lebanon and stops almost daily airstrikes that have killed or wounded hundreds of people, most of them Hezbollah members. Israel has accused Hezbollah of trying to rebuild its military capabilities. Israel's military has said the five locations in Lebanon provide vantage points or are located across from communities in northern Israel, where about 60,000 Israelis were displaced during the war. Since the ceasefire, Hezbollah has claimed responsibility for one attack on a disputed area along the border. In a televised speech on Tuesday, Kassem said Hezbollah rejects any timetable to hand over its weapons. 'Israel's interest is not to widen the aggression because if they expand, the resistance will defend, the army will defend and the people will defend,' he said. 'This defence will lead to the fall of missiles inside Israel.' Since the war ended, Hezbollah has withdrawn most of its fighters and weapons from the area along the border with Israel south of the Litani river. Last week, Lebanese President Joseph Aoun reiterated calls for Hezbollah to give up its weapons, angering the group's leadership. The ceasefire agreement left vague how Hezbollah's weapons and military facilities north of the Litani river should be treated, saying Lebanese authorities should dismantle unauthorised facilities starting with the area south of the river. Hezbollah maintains the deal covers only the area south of the Litani, while Israel and the US say it mandates disarmament of the group throughout Lebanon. Kassem said Hezbollah rejects a government vote over its weapons, saying such a decision should be unanimously backed by all Lebanese. 'No one can deprive Lebanon of its force to protect its sovereignty,' Kassem said. Hezbollah's weapons are a divisive issue among Lebanese, with some groups calling for its disarmament. The Israel-Hezbollah war started a day after the October 7 2023 Hamas-led attack against Israel from Gaza. It left more than 4,000 people dead and caused 11 billion dollars (£8.3 billion) of damage.
Glasgow Times
18 minutes ago
- Glasgow Times
Hezbollah threatens to resume firing at Israel if it intensifies Lebanon action
Naim Kassem's comments came as Lebanon's Cabinet was meeting to discuss Hezbollah's disarmament. Beirut is under US pressure to disarm the group that recently fought a 14-month war with Israel and was left gravely weakened, with many of its political and military leaders dead. Since the war ended in November with a US-brokered ceasefire, Hezbollah officials have said the group will not discuss its disarmament until Israel withdraws from five hills it controls inside Lebanon and stops almost daily airstrikes that have killed or wounded hundreds of people, most of them Hezbollah members. Israel has accused Hezbollah of trying to rebuild its military capabilities. Israel's military has said the five locations in Lebanon provide vantage points or are located across from communities in northern Israel, where about 60,000 Israelis were displaced during the war. Since the ceasefire, Hezbollah has claimed responsibility for one attack on a disputed area along the border. In a televised speech on Tuesday, Kassem said Hezbollah rejects any timetable to hand over its weapons. 'Israel's interest is not to widen the aggression because if they expand, the resistance will defend, the army will defend and the people will defend,' he said. 'This defence will lead to the fall of missiles inside Israel.' Since the war ended, Hezbollah has withdrawn most of its fighters and weapons from the area along the border with Israel south of the Litani river. Last week, Lebanese President Joseph Aoun reiterated calls for Hezbollah to give up its weapons, angering the group's leadership. The ceasefire agreement left vague how Hezbollah's weapons and military facilities north of the Litani river should be treated, saying Lebanese authorities should dismantle unauthorised facilities starting with the area south of the river. Hezbollah maintains the deal covers only the area south of the Litani, while Israel and the US say it mandates disarmament of the group throughout Lebanon. Kassem said Hezbollah rejects a government vote over its weapons, saying such a decision should be unanimously backed by all Lebanese. 'No one can deprive Lebanon of its force to protect its sovereignty,' Kassem said. Hezbollah's weapons are a divisive issue among Lebanese, with some groups calling for its disarmament. The Israel-Hezbollah war started a day after the October 7 2023 Hamas-led attack against Israel from Gaza. It left more than 4,000 people dead and caused 11 billion dollars (£8.3 billion) of damage.
Telegraph
19 minutes ago
- Telegraph
Images of Gaza show the reality of urban warfare, not genocide
We have all seen pictures and videos of large-scale destruction in Gaza since the war began. The level of devastation has again hit the headlines after photos were taken from above by journalists on board the recent Jordanian humanitarian air-drops. I've seen it from the ground myself and the demolition is indeed truly horrifying; in places there is nothing other than piles of rubble where buildings once stood, as far as the eye can see. But this ruination should be no surprise to those who understand the way Hamas turned the whole of Gaza into a military redoubt disguised as a civilian population centre. If you see pictures following any urban battle you will observe widespread destruction of buildings after opposing forces have fought a bloody fight to gain dominance. If there is greater devastation in Gaza than on some other battlegrounds, it can be understood by Hamas's contemptible way of fighting. First, the tunnel network. Tunnels have featured in armed combat for hundreds of years. But nothing before has come close to Hamas's utilisation of the 400 miles of tunnels it dug over 16 years as its primary military infrastructure, shielded beneath populated areas. The inter-connected network includes tunnels just beneath the surface and down to a depth of more than 200 feet. They are used for battle manoeuvre, weapons storage, command posts and living quarters. The IDF estimates that Hamas excavated over 5,000 shafts to enter and leave the tunnels. Many of these were in ordinary houses, hospitals, schools, mosques and other buildings. To destroy tunnels or deny terrorists their use, it has often been necessary to blow up their exits and entrances. Many tunnel entrances have been booby-trapped with explosives, as have other sections of the tunnels, often concealed in the walls. Many IDF soldiers have been killed by them while entering or fighting through the tunnels. As well as the tunnels, vast numbers of buildings of all types in Gaza have been used by Hamas as arms dumps, including in houses and apartments. In some areas every house, every other house or every third house contains weapons and explosives. I have seen boxes of grenades beneath children's beds, rocket launchers in kitchen cupboards and rifles stashed underneath piles of clothing. So rather than blow up the buildings, why can the IDF not simply raid the houses and seize the weapons? Because it is estimated that some 40 per cent of buildings in Gaza were also booby-trapped to kill soldiers doing exactly that, and quite a few have died. The same applies to troops entering buildings to deal with terrorists within. The IDF reports that of the total of 250,000 structures in Gaza, some 100,000 have been rigged with explosives. Many of these booby-traps are covered by covert cameras so they can be remotely detonated when the troops approach. An IDF soldier's life is worth no less than anyone else's, and destruction of a building is preferable to unnecessary death. Back in the 1980s, in Belfast during the Troubles, we discovered a house that was similarly booby-trapped by the IRA, with multiple concealed devices intended to kill soldiers and police. In that case, we also decided, rather than risk the lives of our bomb disposal experts, we would use explosives to do the job. On top of all this, sometimes IDF precision strikes against a specific building have triggered secondary blasts as the shock-waves radiate outward and detonate Hamas explosive and missile stores, bringing down adjacent buildings as well. In other cases, an attack against a section of tunnel causes more extensive collapse, undermining the foundations of buildings above. Many don't want to accept that all of this devastation is by Hamas's deliberate design. They transformed Gaza into an engine of war, harnessing the entire population, every building, every inch of land, along with much of the vast quantity of international aid poured in to help their people. Just as they blame Israel for the civilian death and hunger they themselves brought about, they also blame Israel for the physical destruction. They know this tactic works only too well, bringing international condemnation of Israel from governments, international bodies, human rights groups and the media. Those who are naive enough to walk into their trap simply validate Hamas's horrific methods and ensure that, given the chance, they will be used repeatedly in the future.
