Sir Keir Starmer’s plan to recognise a Palestinian state in September is designed to appease his backbenchers and will not secure lasting peace. While hostages are still being held in terrorist captivity and while Hamas’s reign of terror continues, Starmer’s government has chosen to condemn Israel rather than tackle the root cause of this conflict – Hamas, an Iranian-backed terrorist regime.
Labour has failed to work with partners to come up with a coherent plan which specifies how Hamas’s reign of terror can be ended, and to ensure they never form any future government. No thought has been given to the real diplomatic implications or consequences of Starmer’s decision and each day that passes in this terrible conflict shows a significant failure in Labour’s ability to leverage British influence and be taken seriously on the world stage.
Starmer has betrayed a key British ally in Israel and given succour to the murderous, terrorist Hamas regime, which is responsible for unspeakable suffering, conflict and atrocities. This gross act of political and diplomatic incompetence will only strengthen those who threaten the security of our country and our Western values. Events in the region have a direct impact on our national interests and on people living on our own country, from concerns about family members to demonstrations on our streets, and from the threats from Iran to the rise in antisemitism.
Despite this, Labour has refused to state that the release of the Israeli hostages by Hamas is an essential condition before they recognise Palestine. That simply cannot be right.
As the hostage families have said in recent days, this is a dangerous message, that legitimises violence, emboldens extremists and undermines any genuine hope for peace. Their abduction, starvation and the abuse they are enduring should not serve as the foundation for establishing a Palestinian state.
As Labour fails to stand alongside our democratic ally whose presence in Gaza is to defeat the murderous extremist group responsible for the atrocities of the October 7, we should remember that Hamas have inflicted horrendous abuse on innocent people in Gaza for years. It is also Hamas who target their hate and violence towards the eradication of the only Jewish state in the world.
When it comes to the humanitarian crisis, Labour needs to be leveraging the UK’s considerable aid expertise to bring about practical solutions that alleviate the dire and deteriorating situation. The priority must be to get as much aid in as possible, delivered safely and exclusively to innocent civilians. Diplomacy is about doing the hard work to find solutions, not just issuing condemnations.