On Saturday evening the families of current Israeli hostages Avinatan Or, Evyatar David, Rom Braslavsky, Guy Gilboa-Dalal, Eitan Mor, Ran Gvili and Matan Angrest, made a final, desperate appeal to Keir Starmer.
‘Your regrettable announcement of the UK’s intention to recognise a Palestinian state at the United Nations General Assembly has dramatically complicated efforts to bring home our loved ones,’ they wrote.
‘Hamas has already celebrated the UK’s decision as a victory and reneged on a ceasefire deal. We write to you with a simple plea – do not take this step until our loved ones are home and in our arms’.
Starmer’s response was swift and decisive. He took their letter and threw it in the bin – if he even bothered to read it at all. And then announced his Government was recognising a Palestinian state.
Evyatar David, left, and Guy Gilboa-Dalal, whose parents were among those to make a final desperate plea for Starmer not to recognise a Palestinian state
Footage of Evyatar David released by Hamas showing his shocking condition
There is currently an intense debate underway over Sir Keir and his suitability to govern Britain. It is raging both across the nation and within the Labour Party.
But his actions yesterday broker no debate. They define the Prime Minister with a singular, malevolent clarity.
First, they show he is a cold, callous liar. In October last year he met another group of hostage families in the White Room of Downing Street. ‘As you have emphasised to me, first and foremost, the hostages must be released. That is the first thing we must think of when we discuss these matters. Immediately and unconditionally,’ he vowed to them.
They also show that he’s a craven coward. Starmer’s decision to recognise a Palestinian state is not actually his decision at all. He was bounced into it after being outflanked by Emmanuel Macron’s own announcement declaring support for Palestine, followed by an ambush from his MPs and Cabinet, who were terrified of the growing backlash against his Gaza policy. ‘They basically forced his hand,’ a senior Government source told me.
And Sir Keir is not just a coward politically, but now an overt appeaser of terrorism. ‘We stand with Israel and her right to defend herself against the terrorists of Hamas,’ he declared in the immediate aftermath of the October 7 massacre.
Where does he stand today? Shoulder to shoulder with the Hamas murderers, rapists, torturers and kidnappers. ‘We consider this a positive step in the right direction toward doing justice to our oppressed Palestinian people,’ Hamas stated in response to the news that their brutal assault was being rewarded by Starmer and other Western leaders.
Sir Keir Starmer issues a statement confirming the UK will recognise a Palestinian state
Nor is he simply an appeaser in an abstract sense. The Prime Minister has attempted to claim Palestinian recognition represents a pathway to a ceasefire. But in truth there are only three meaningful parties to the ceasefire negotiations – Israel, the United States and Hamas.
Both Israel and the United States have themselves implored Starmer not to opt for recognition, insisting it would undermine that process. So whose negotiating stance is he actively embracing with yesterday’s announcement? Again, the murderers, rapists, torturers and kidnappers of Hamas.
Meanwhile, look at who Sir Keir is opting to cast aside. First, it’s the British people. The voters have been horrified by the daily images of death and destruction in Gaza. And that has begun to influence views of the conflict. But according to an opinion poll published yesterday by JL Partners, 90 per cent of those questioned oppose Starmer’s decision to opt for recognition without any conditions, including hostage release.
Then there is his attitude to the wider Jewish community. Quite simply, the Prime Minister has used them, then betrayed them. When he needed their support prior to the election to underline how his party had moved on from the dark days of Corbynite anti-Semitism, the community was heavily courted. But now they have served their narrow electoral purpose. So they are being cast aside.
‘The unconditional recognition of a Palestinian state by the British Government at the forthcoming annual United Nations General Assembly, will prove to be a historic error of foreign policy’ the Chief Rabbi Sir Ephraim Mirvis declared on Friday. ‘It is a reward for terrorism, while the hostages remain in chains, and has been celebrated by Hamas as “one of the fruits of October 7”’.
Keir Starmer doesn’t care. He has no meaningful concern for the hostages who remain manacled and cowering in the Hamas torture dungeons. Nor does he have any real meaningful concern for those innocent children and civilians cowering in the rubble of Gaza.
Because he is too busy cowering himself. From his own MPs and ministers who are embittered at his failure to fully embrace their cherished pro-Palestinian cause. From Labour activists brainwashed by the fanaticism of the pro-Gaza radicals. And the slow but steady erosion of Labour’s electoral base by the militant Muslim independent movement.
For a long time people have asked ‘What does Keir Starmer actually stand for?’ With his formal recognition of Palestine we now have our answer. Cowardice. Appeasement. Cynicism. Deceit.
