Sadiq Khan slapped down by Labour minister over demand UK recognise a Palestinian state NOW amid growing party row over bloodshed in Gaza

Daily Mail​

6 days ago

Sir Sadiq Khan was slapped down by a senior cabinet minister today over his demand that Britain immediately recognise a Palestinian State.
The London mayor spoke out publicly yesterday amid growing international concern - and within the top ranks of the Labour party - at the humanitarian crisis in Gaza.
He said that the UK 'must do far more to pressure the Israeli government to stop this horrific senseless killing', as aid groups warned of starvation in the Gaza Strip caused by the IDF aid blockade.
Sir Sadiq warned that there might not be much left of Palestine to make into a state if global leaders do not pressure Israel's prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu to halt the bloodshed.
But Business Secretary Jonathan Reynolds today suggested that recognising a Palestinian state now would be meaningless, as there is no political unity in the area.
Gaza is currently run by the terrorist group Hamas, while the occupied West Bank is run by the Palestinian Authority, with the two at loggerheads for years.
Mr Reynolds told LBC Radio: 'We are deeply committed to the recognition of Palestine as a state, which was part of our manifesto, but obviously we want that to be meaningful.
'Now, at the minute, there is not a Palestinian state there. There is no political agreement between the two principal Palestinian territories in the West Bank and Gaza.
'We have taken other steps in relation to the intolerable situation in Gaza. We've obviously sanctioned two Israeli cabinet ministers. I myself have ended arms exports to Israel that could be used in the conflict in Gaza.
'We've ended our talks with Israel on a more enhanced trade agreement and trade relationship. So we have taken those immediate steps.
'And we do want to see Palestine recognised. I want that to be meaningful. I want that to be working with partners, other countries around the world.'
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 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.'
More than 100 organisations, including Doctors Without Borders and Save the Children, have put their names to an open letter in which they said they were watching their own colleagues, as well as the Palestinians they serve, 'waste away'.
It comes as the Archbishop of York, Stephen Cottrell, labelled the situation in Gaza 'a stain on the conscience of the international community'.
He said: 'With each passing day in Gaza, the violence, starvation and dehumanisation being inflicted on the civilian population by the government of Israel becomes more depraved and unconscionable.'
Hamas-led militants based in Gaza 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.