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Powys County Times
3 hours ago
- Powys County Times
Sir Sadiq Khan calls on ministers to immediately recognise Palestinian statehood
Sir Sadiq Khan has piled pressure on the Government over Israel as he called on ministers to 'immediately recognise Palestinian statehood'. The Mayor of London said that the UK 'must do far more to pressure the Israeli government to stop this horrific senseless killing', as aid groups have warned of starvation in the Gaza Strip. It comes as the Archbishop of York labelled the situation in Gaza a 'a stain on the conscience of the international community'. 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'. 'The government of Israel's restrictions, delays and fragmentation under its total siege have created chaos, starvation and death,' the letter said. In a statement posted on X on Wednesday, Labour mayor Sir Sadiq said pointed to 'starving children searching hopelessly for food in the rubble' and 'family members being shot dead by Israeli soldiers as they search for aid'. 'The international community – including our own Government – must do far more to pressure the Israeli government to stop this horrific senseless killing and let vital life saving aid in,' he added. Sir Sadiq went on: 'The UK must immediately recognise Palestinian statehood. There can be no two state solution if there is no viable state left to call Palestine.' Shadow foreign secretary Dame Priti Patel said that the mayor should 'should spend less time trying to play on the world stage' and 'focus on fixing his own mess in the capital'. Meanwhile the current most senior bishop in the Church of England has branded the infliction of 'violence, starvation and dehumanisation' on the people of Gaza by the Israeli government 'depraved and unconscionable'. Archbishop of York Stephen Cottrell welcomed the UK and other nations' recent condemnation of the Israeli and US-backed current aid delivery model, which has reportedly resulted in Israel Defence Forces troops firing on Palestinian civilians in search of food on multiple occasions, but insisted there is 'no time to wait' for further action to be taken to 'stop this ongoing assault on Gaza'. 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. 'In the name of God, I cry out against this barbaric assault on human life and dignity. It is a stain on the conscience of the international community, and a flagrant breach of international humanitarian law.' He repeated his call for an immediate and permanent ceasefire, the release of all hostages and said he rejected 'any policy that would amount to the ethnic cleansing of the Palestinian population from Gaza'. World Health Organisation (WHO) director-general Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said on Wednesday that people in Gaza are facing 'yet another killer on top of bombs and bullets: starvation'. In a post on X on Wednesday evening, Dr Tedros said that Health Secretary Wes Streeting had 'reach[ed] out' and expressed 'support for WHO colleagues in Gaza'. In response, Mr Streeting said that 'we stand with healthcare workers in Gaza who are doing lifesaving work in most unimaginably challenging and horrific circumstances'. We stand with healthcare workers in Gaza who are doing lifesaving work in most unimaginably challenging and horrific circumstances. Tedros and his team have my full support. — Wes Streeting (@wesstreeting) July 23, 2025 On Tuesday, Mr Streeting called for recognition of Palestine 'while there's still a state of Palestine left to recognise'. Speaking in the House of Commons, the Health Secretary described Israel's attacks on healthcare workers as going 'well beyond legitimate self-defence'. He told MPs he hopes 'that the international community can come together, as the Foreign Secretary has been driving towards, to make sure that we see an end to this war, but also the recognition of the state of Palestine while there's still a state of Palestine left to recognise'. Foreign Secretary David Lammy has hinted that Israel could face further sanctions from the UK if it does not agree to a ceasefire. The UK must immediately recognise Palestinian statehood. There can be no two state solution if there is no viable state left to call Palestine. — Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan (@MayorofLondon) July 23, 2025 Asked by ITV's Good Morning Britain on Tuesday what more he planned to do if Israel did not agree to end the conflict, the Foreign Secretary replied: 'Well, we've announced a raft of sanctions over the last few months. 'There will be more, clearly, and we keep all of those options under consideration if we do not see a change in behaviour and the suffering that we are seeing come to an end.' Hamas-led militants abducted 251 people in the October 7 attack in 2023 that triggered the war and killed around 1,200 people.
Daily Mirror
5 hours ago
- Daily Mirror
Sadiq Khan calls on Keir Starmer to recognise Palestine 'immediately'
Mayor of London Sir Sadiq Khan's intervention piles pressure on the Prime Minister amid reports that a number of senior Cabinet ministers have also urged him to do so Sir Sadiq Khan has called on Keir Starmer to recognise Palestinian statehood 'immediately'. The Mayor of London's intervention piles pressure on the Prime Minister amid reports that a number of senior Cabinet ministers have also urged him to do so. Sir Sadiq said the UK "must do far more to pressure the Israeli government to stop this horrific senseless killing". It comes as aid groups warned of starvation in the Gaza Strip. More than 100 organisations including Doctors Without Borders and Save the Children put their names to an open letter which said they were watching their own colleagues, as well as the Palestinians they serve, "waste away". In a statement posted on X, Labour mayor Sir Sadiq pointed to "starving children searching hopelessly for food in the rubble" and "family members being shot dead by Israeli soldiers as they search for aid". "The international community - including our own Government - must do far more to pressure the Israeli government to stop this horrific senseless killing and let vital life saving aid in," he said. "The UK must immediately recognise Palestinian statehood. There can be no two state solution if there is no viable state left to call Palestine." Meanwhile, the Archbishop of York Stephen Cottrell branded 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.' Mr Starmer is facing pressure from Cabinet ministers to recognise Palestine, including Justice Secretary Shabana Mahmood and Northern Ireland Secretary Hilary Benn, according to reports. Appearing in the Commons on Tuesday, Health Secretary Wes Streeting called for recognition 'while there's still a state of Palestine left to recognise'. Earlier this month nearly 60 Labour MPs demanded the UK immediately recognises Palestine as a state in a letter to Foreign Secretary David Lammy. The UK plans to formally recognise Palestine but has said it will do so 'at the point of maximum impact'. Mr Lammy has hinted that Israel could face further sanctions from the UK if it does not agree to a ceasefire. Asked on Tuesday what more he planned to do if Israel did not agree to end the conflict, he told ITV's Good Morning Britain: "Well, we've announced a raft of sanctions over the last few months. "There will be more, clearly, and we keep all of those options under consideration if we do not see a change in behaviour and the suffering that we are seeing come to an end."
The Guardian
5 hours ago
- The Guardian
Dozens of former UK diplomats urge Starmer to recognise Palestinian state
Dozens of former UK ambassadors and diplomats have piled pressure on Keir Starmer to recognise a Palestinian state amid growing international revulsion at the harrowing scenes in Gaza. Their letter to the prime minister came as the archbishop of York condemned the dehumanisation of people in Gaza as 'depraved' and 'barbaric'. It was 'a stain on the conscience of the international community', and Israel's 'war of aggression' was a 'grave sin', said Stephen Cottrell, currently the de facto leader of the Church of England. The strength of the language used by Cottrell is a reflection of rapidly shifting opinion as images of starving children and accounts of civilians being killed as they try to secure food for their families emerge from Gaza. In Starmer's cabinet, there has been a growing sense of horror and despair in recent weeks over Israel's actions and scenes in Gaza. This week, Wes Streeting, the health secretary, publicly called for recognition while there was 'still a state of Palestine left to recognise' and condemned Israeli actions that went 'well beyond legitimate self-defence'. On Wednesday, Sadiq Khan, the mayor of London, urged the UK government to recognise a Palestinian state immediately, saying the scenes in Gaza were 'absolutely harrowing'. In a statement on X, he wrote: 'The international community – including our own government – must do far more to pressure the Israeli government to stop this horrific, senseless killing and let vital, life-saving aid in. Nothing justifies the actions of the Israeli government.' The letter to Starmer, which was signed by more than 30 former UK ambassadors and 20 former senior British diplomats at the United Nations, said the status quo in Gaza could be broken by recognising the state of Palestine. 'The risks of inaction have profound, historic and catastrophic implications,' it said. The state of Israel 'cannot be secure from threats in the future if the question of Palestine is not taken forward to a political settlement'. It added: 'In the face of the current horror and impunity, words are not enough … A partial suspension of arms sales, delays on trade talks and limited sanctions are far from the full extent of the pressure the UK can bring to bear on Israel.' Recognising a Palestinian state would be a 'foundational first step towards breaking the deadly status quo', the letter said. Signatories included the former UK ambassadors to Afghanistan, Bahrain, Egypt, Iran, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Morocco, Pakistan, Qatar, Syria and Turkey. The letter reflects deep concern among former diplomats that Starmer appears reluctant to engage with the Middle East crisis, or understand that ineffective action will do little to assuage British reputation in the region. One of the signatories said the letter reflected a strong current of opinion inside the Foreign Office over the recognition issue, but such a claim is hard to test. Cottrell's statement, issued on Wednesday, 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. Sign up to Headlines UK Get the day's headlines and highlights emailed direct to you every morning after newsletter promotion 'In the name of God, I cry out against this barbaric assault on human life and dignity. It is a stain on the conscience of the international community, and a flagrant breach of international humanitarian law.' He added: 'I have condemned many times the horrific Hamas attacks on 7 October, and I continue to call for the release of those still cruelly held hostage. We deplore every assault on the innocent. But … this war is now one of aggression – it is a grave sin and it must stop.' Cottrell called for an immediate and permanent ceasefire, the release of all hostages and captives and for the rebuilding of Gaza. Any policy 'that would amount to the ethnic cleansing of the Palestinian population from Gaza' must be rejected, he said. Earlier on Wednesday, 111 aid organisations said 'mass starvation' was spreading in Gaza as a result of continued Israeli restrictions on how aid arrived and was distributed in the territory. The organisations, including Doctors Without Borders (MSF), Save the Children and Oxfam, said: 'Our colleagues and those we serve are wasting away.' Israel claims aid is being allowed to enter Gaza but it is being stolen by Hamas. There have been repeated incidents of civilians being shot while trying to access food from the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, an organisation backed by Israel that replaced the UN aid infrastructure in May. The UN says Israeli forces have since killed more than 1,000 Palestinians trying to get food. The UK foreign secretary, David Lammy, who said he felt 'appalled, sickened' by the scenes of starving Palestinians being shot as they sought food, said Britain would 'play its part' in reaching a two-state solution.
