Board of Deputies: Hamas has no incentive for accepting a deal
Fifty people remain in captivity in Gaza now, some dead and some living. We know from the testimony of released hostages that they have faced abuse and appalling conditions for the past 21 months.
This is the backdrop to the war in Gaza – a war that Israel did not start. It is a conflict which has cost thousands of lives on both sides and we are all praying for its conclusion and for peace. However, will the government's decision to recognise a Palestinian state at this moment help bring peace to the region?
I do not think so. The government's statement, released yesterday, sets conditions on Israel. The UK says that it will recognise Palestinian statehood unless Israel accepts a ceasefire. However, this means that Hamas has no incentive for accepting a deal. If they continue to turn down truce proposals, they know that this makes UK recognition of Palestine more likely. We would like the government to state unequivocally that recognition will not be forthcoming unless Hamas meets UK demands. That must include accepting a ceasefire and releasing the hostages. It must be totally unconscionable for the UK to effectively reward Hamas terrorism while the hostages remain in inhumane conditions.
In saying this I must stress that my organisation, the democratically elected representative organisation of the UK Jewish community, has long supported a negotiated two-state solution that ensures a secure Israel alongside a viable Palestinian state. However, recognising a Palestinian state without a diplomatic agreement risks putting gestures ahead of substance. There is a danger that the government's announcement will empower Hamas.
While responsibility for this war lies with Hamas and the destruction wrought on the Palestinian people is largely down to the actions of this terrorist group which is proscribed in the UK, the suffering we are witnessing in the Gaza Strip demands a response. The new measures announced by Israeli authorities to address the humanitarian crisis are essential if long overdue. We need to see a rapid, uninhibited, and sustained increase in aid through all available channels, and we need to see all agencies cooperating in this endeavour. As we have said for months, food must not be used as a weapon of war by any side in this conflict. We are also alarmed at some of the rhetoric within the Israeli government and by extremist settler violence in the West Bank.
'Food must not be used as a weapon of war'
This war continues to take an unbearable toll on both Israelis and Palestinians, and nearly all of them would like to see it end as soon as possible. It is also having a profound effect on our own UK Jewish community, with a huge increase in hate crime and discrimination directed at Jews in this country. We need to export peace, not import this conflict.
This is a long and attritional war which must come to an end. There is no doubt that the UK government is sincere in its desire to end suffering in the area. However, it must be aware of the concerted international drive across governments, the media and civil society, to turn Israel into a pariah state, with increasingly alarming impacts on local Jewish communities, including in the UK. The government must ensure that its good intentions are not weaponised by this campaign. In this complex and challenging moment, steps to advance a two-state solution should still be focussed on substance, not gestures.
The diplomatic community needs to get behind a comprehensive plan that will make a Palestinian state beside a secure Israel a reality.
We need to see peace and we need to see all the hostages return to their loved ones. Only then will we end our weekly hostage vigils.
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