Sir Keir Starmer was left red-faced yesterday as he joined a line of world leaders waiting to shake hands with US President Donald Trump at a high-stakes Gaza peace summit, underscoring Britain’s diminished clout on the global stage.
The Prime Minister, arriving amid sweltering desert heat, was pictured queuing behind Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sissi and Qatari Emir Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani as Mr Trump held court after overseeing the signing of a landmark ceasefire agreement with Hamas.
The chastening moment, captured by press photographers, showed Sir Keir fidgeting in his suit, a far cry from US president’s red-carpet treatment. The summit marked a “historic day”, Sir Keir later insisted, as key nations including Egypt, Qatar, and Turkey endorsed Mr Trump’s Gaza peace plan.
All 20 remaining Israeli hostages were released by Hamas, paving the way for the first phase of the deal: a surge in humanitarian aid to the war-ravaged enclave, partial Israeli troop withdrawals from Gaza’s main cities, and the release of hundreds of Palestinian prisoners.
Mr Trump, fresh from a hero’s welcome at Israel’s Knesset where lawmakers chanted his name and donned “Trump, The Peace President” caps, breezed through the event like a conquering emperor.
Speaking alongside Mr el-Sissi, he declared: “We have a once-in-a-lifetime chance to put the old feuds and bitter hatreds behind us.”
He further urged leaders to “declare that our future will not be ruled by the fights of generations past.”
Sir Keir, who flew in specially, seized on the moment to pitch Britain’s involvement.
He told reporters: “What happens tomorrow really matters, and that’s why, what I’ve been discussing with leaders all day is, what part can we play?
“And we, the United Kingdom in particular I think, can play a part in monitoring the ceasefire, but also decommissioning the capability of Hamas and their weaponry drawing on our experience in Northern Ireland.”
The offer drew nods from some delegates, but Mr Trump – who promised to help rebuild Gaza into “the Riviera of the Middle East” – made no secret of his preference for US-led oversight.
Some 200 American troops will support a multinational monitoring team, with Britain relegated to a supporting role pending further talks.
The summit, attended by nearly three dozen nations, came at a fragile juncture. Trump hailed the ceasefire as proof that “everybody said it’s not possible to do. And it’s going to happen. And it is happening before your very eyes.”
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who snubbed the event citing a Jewish holiday, had earlier praised Trump as “the greatest friend Israel has ever had in the White House.”
Sir Keir was cagey on the idea of a formal role for himself or ex-PM Sir Tony Blair on Trump’s proposed Gaza peace board, saying: “There are discussions going on about who should be on the board, but I can be clear with you, I haven’t put myself forward for that role.
“But what I have put myself forward for, what I put out country forward for, is to ensure that we keep doing what we’re best at, which is working, as we have done behind the scenes, to help get this deal to where it is today, and drawing on our experience in relation to decommissioning, monitoring the ceasefire, which is essential.”