Sadiq Khan slapped down by Labour minister over demand UK recognise a Palestinian state NOW amid growing party row over bloodshed in Gaza
The London mayor spoke out publicly yesterday amid growing international concern - and within the top ranks of the Labour party - at the humanitarian crisis in Gaza.
He said that the UK 'must do far more to pressure the Israeli government to stop this horrific senseless killing', as aid groups warned of starvation in the Gaza Strip caused by the IDF aid blockade.
Sir Sadiq warned that there might not be much left of Palestine to make into a state if global leaders do not pressure Israel's prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu to halt the bloodshed.
But Business Secretary Jonathan Reynolds today suggested that recognising a Palestinian state now would be meaningless, as there is no political unity in the area.
Gaza is currently run by the terrorist group Hamas, while the occupied West Bank is run by the Palestinian Authority, with the two at loggerheads for years.
Mr Reynolds told LBC Radio: 'We are deeply committed to the recognition of Palestine as a state, which was part of our manifesto, but obviously we want that to be meaningful.
'Now, at the minute, there is not a Palestinian state there. There is no political agreement between the two principal Palestinian territories in the West Bank and Gaza.
'We have taken other steps in relation to the intolerable situation in Gaza. We've obviously sanctioned two Israeli cabinet ministers. I myself have ended arms exports to Israel that could be used in the conflict in Gaza.
'We've ended our talks with Israel on a more enhanced trade agreement and trade relationship. So we have taken those immediate steps.
'And we do want to see Palestine recognised. I want that to be meaningful. I want that to be working with partners, other countries around the world.'
The UN food agency said the IDF fired on a crowd of Palestinians seeking humanitarian aid over the weekend.
But Sir Sadiq has publicly spoken out ahead of two potentially difficult summer visits to the UK by Donald Trump, a close ally of Israeli PM Netanyahu.
The US president, who arrived in Scotland tomorrow for a private visit to his golf courses, has suggested turning Gaza into a tourist resort while evicting its Palestinian population.
So far Sir Keir has resisted calls to recognise Palestine. But Wes Streeting is among those who have demanded it this week, echoing Sir Sadiq's argument.
In a statement Sir Sadiq said: 'The absolutely harrowing scenes of suffering in Gaza are being made worse by the day, with no sign of the crisis abating.
'Starving children searching hopelessly for food in the rubble, family members shot dead by Israeli soldiers as they search for aid...
'There can be no two state solution if there is no viable state left to call Palestine.'
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'.
It comes as the Archbishop of York, Stephen Cottrell, labelled 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.'
Hamas-led militants based in Gaza abducted 251 people in the October 7 attack in 2023 that triggered the war and killed around 1,200 people.
Fewer than half of the 50 hostages still in Gaza are believed to be alive.
Israel's retaliatory offensive has killed more than 55,000 Palestinians, according to Gaza's Health Ministry, which says women and children make up more than half of the dead. It does not distinguish between civilians and combatants.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Independent
5 minutes ago
- The Independent
Trump says US gave $60 million for food in Gaza - then complains he didn't get a thank you
Donald Trump has complained that nobody has thanked him for sending millions in aid to Gaza, an apparent reference to American funding of the controversial, Israeli-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation. Speaking in Turnberry in Scotland alongside European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen, Mr Trump was asked if Israel should be doing more to get aid into Gaza. The Israeli military on Sunday began a limited pause in fighting in three populated areas of Gaza for 10 hours a day, part of measures including airdrops as concerns grow over surging hunger and as Israel faces international criticism over its conduct in the 21-month war. The military said the 'tactical pause' in Gaza City, Deir al-Balah and Muwasi, three areas with large populations, would increase humanitarian aid entering the territory. The pause runs from 10:00 am to 8:00 pm daily until further notice. Jordan and the United Arab Emirates have also parachuted aid into the Gaza Strip as Israel relents to pressure against the GHF being the sole supplier of food. Other aid organisations have accused the GHF and Israel of weaponising aid. Mr Trump claimed that, two weeks ago, the US gave $60 million (£45 million) worth of food to the Palestinians in Gaza, adding that he deserved to be thanked for this. 'You know, we gave $60 million two weeks ago and nobody even acknowledged it, for food,' he said. 'And you really want at least someone to say 'thank you'. No other country gave anything. It makes you feel a little bad when nobody talks about it.' He said that 'none of the European countries have given anything', before adding that 'it would be nice to get at least a 'thank you'.' Mr Trump did not specify where these funds have come from or to whom they have been sent, but last month, The Guardian revealed that the US had authorised a $30m grant to the controversial GHF.
The Independent
5 minutes ago
- The Independent
Starmer must take a strong line with Trump to relieve the suffering in Gaza
The phrase 'walking a diplomatic tightrope' is overused by the media, but it is an accurate description of Sir Keir Starmer's task when he meets Donald Trump on Monday for talks at the US president's Turnberry golf course in Scotland. According to Downing Street sources, the prime minister will discuss what more can be done to secure a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas, to 'bring an end to the unspeakable suffering and starvation in Gaza', and to hasten the release of the remaining Israeli hostages. Sir Keir is under growing pressure from Labour backbenchers, and several members of his cabinet, to go further by joining France's Emmanuel Macron in formally recognising Palestinian statehood. But if the prime minister did so, it would weaken his hand with Mr Trump, the only foreign leader with meaningful influence over Benjamin Netanyahu, the Israeli prime minister. So Gaza poses a big test for Sir Keir's quietly effective strategy of not challenging or criticising the US president in public. We have to take it on trust that he will argue strongly behind closed doors for the US to restart the peace talks it led in Qatar before it pulled out, blaming Hamas for the lack of progress. Indeed, President Trump should revive plans for a 60-day ceasefire, the release of some hostages, and – crucially – an increase in aid supplies, which are desperately needed to prevent more deaths from starvation. Such an approach by Sir Keir will not be enough for the 221 MPs, including a third of Labour backbenchers, who have signed a letter calling for the immediate recognition of Palestine. Or, indeed, for much of the British public. It is not surprising, given the harrowing pictures of emaciated children in TV news bulletins, that opinion in the UK is turning against Israel, which rightly enjoyed the goodwill of many after the horrific 7 October attacks. According to More in Common, 29 per cent of people now sympathise more with the Palestinians – up by 11 percentage points since November 2023 – while 27 per cent sympathise with neither side, 16 per cent with both sides equally, and 15 per cent with Israel. Some 48 per cent believe Israel's response to the conflict has been disproportionate, and only 28 per cent think it proportionate. Amid mounting outrage, Israel has announced a limited 'tactical pause' in its military operation in three areas of Gaza to allow in more humanitarian relief. The easing of restrictions is welcome, if long overdue, but it must be more than a cynical temporary move. It is no substitute for a ceasefire leading to negotiations on a long-term peace settlement. Nor will the airdrops planned by the UK and Jordan be more than a sticking plaster; they are ineffective compared with relief delivered by lorries, and sometimes even dangerous. Sir Keir's reluctance to recognise Palestine may prove to have been a holding line. If countries such as Germany, Canada and Australia change their minds and back France, he may shift. The SNP plans to force a vote on the issue when the Commons returns from its summer recess in September, which would expose Labour divisions. That month, the Labour conference will be problematic for its leader if he doesn't change tack, while the UN general assembly will discuss France's move. Yet for now, The Independent believes the prime minister is right to maximise his influence with President Trump, and to keep the recognition of Palestine as a card to play in talks on a permanent peace that must include a two-state solution to the Israel-Hamas conflict. Recognising Palestine now would not in itself change the terrible conditions on the ground in Gaza, as Bob Geldof, the Live Aid organiser, told Sky News on Sunday. He said it should have been done 'ages ago', but that the demands of Labour MPs amount to a distraction that 'is not going to make any material difference'. Sir Keir's quiet diplomacy is a better response to the crisis in Gaza than the tone-deafness of Kemi Badenoch, the Conservative leader. Interviewed on Sky, she backed calls for a ceasefire but said: 'What I see when I see Israel is a country that's trying to defend itself.' She declared that the pictures of starving children had not affected her support for Israel, insisting that it is allowing in relief supplies – a view that is hotly disputed by the United Nations and aid agencies. So far, Sir Keir has confounded critics who warned that he would not be able to have it both ways and maintain good relations with the US and the EU. He has secured trade deals with both. The emergency in Gaza now poses a big test for the prime minister's strong record on foreign affairs in the past year, which regrettably has not been matched on the domestic front. Sir Keir's understandable desire to hug Mr Trump close should not lead him to pull his punches over the gruesome tragedy unfolding in Gaza.
BBC News
5 minutes ago
- BBC News
Jordan and UAE aid drops underway in Gaza during Israel's 'tactical pause'
Jordan and the UAE have dropped aid into Gaza after Israel began a "tactical pause" in fighting to mitigate a worsening humanitarian military said its planes, working with the UAE, had delivered 25 tonnes of aid in three drops on Sunday. A lorry convoy also entered from Egypt and another is due from Jordan. Israel said on Sunday it would halt military operations for 10 hours a day in parts of Gaza and allow aid corridors, to "refute the false claim of intentional starvation".However, medics reported nine killed and 54 injured by Israeli fire near an aid convoy route in central Gaza. An airstrike also hit a residential block an hour after a pause came into effect on Saturday. Gaza air drops 'a grotesque distraction', aid agencies warn Local sources told the BBC that nine people were shot in the Netzarim Corridor along Salah al-Din Street in central Gaza, where many civilians had gathered in anticipation of incoming UN aid convoys. Victims were taken to al-Awda Hospital in Nuseirat, a medical official at the facility Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said its troops "fired warning shots" at a "gathering of suspects" approaching them. It said it was not aware of any BBC Verify geolocated an airstrike to Midhat Al-Wahidy Street in Al-Rimal district of western Gaza City - which Israel had designated an hour before as an area where operations would verification was based on witness reports and two geolocated videos published earlier on Sunday. The IDF said it had checked the coordinates and were not aware of a aid trucks arriving in the strip on Sunday were swarmed as desperate Palestinians tried to grab bags of flour from an aid truck near a food distribution point in Zikim, northern has come under intense international pressure over recent weeks to allow aid into the territory it controls, amid reports of mass starvation. The UN's World Food Programme says a third of the two million population of Gaza does not eat for several days at a time, and a quarter were "enduring famine-like conditions".More than 100 people have been reported by the Hamas-run health ministry to have died from malnutrition in recent days. Hundreds have meanwhile been killed by gunfire as they attempted to get food from the limited number of distribution points run by the Israeli and US-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF). The UK's foreign secretary, David Lammy, said Israel's concessions over the weekend alone would not alleviate the suffering in Gaza."Whilst air drops will help to alleviate the worst of the suffering, land routes serve as the only viable and sustainable means of providing aid into Gaza," he said in a statement."These measures must be fully implemented and further barriers on aid removed. The world is watching."Volker Türk, the UN high commissioner for human rights, meanwhile called for more international pressure to end the war. Every day, he said, brought "more destruction, more killings, and the further dehumanisation of Palestinians".Donald Trump, the US president, said he would be sending more aid to Gaza but urged this was "an international problem - it's not a US problem". Residents of Gaza have cautiously welcomed reports of a temporary humanitarian pause allowing food and medicine to enter the besieged enclave. "Of course I feel a bit of hope again, but also worried that starvation would continue once the pause is over," Rasha Al-Sheikh Khalil, a mother of four in Gaza City, told the Saleh, a mother of six, said her family hadn't eaten "a single fresh fruit or vegetable in four months". "There's no chicken, no meat, no eggs. All we have are canned foods that are often expired and flour."Imad Kudaya, a local journalist in Gaza and from al-Mawasi, in the south of the Strip, said most of the air drop packages "have fallen in demilitarised places where if you go there you will put yourself in a very big risk"."Those place are evacuated and under Israeli control - so it is risky."Even as air drops and convoys headed into Gaza, Israel's prime minister promised his country would "continue to fight, we will continue to act until we achieve all of our war goals - until complete victory".During his visit to Ramon Air Force Base in the Negev Desert, Benjamin Netanyahu said Israel had always allowed aid into Gaza, and that the UN had unfairly blamed his government for the crisis."There are secure routes. There have always been, but today it's official. There will be no more excuses," he the new measures, Israel said it would suspend fighting in three populated areas of Gaza for 10 hours a day and open secure routes for aid IDF said it would open humanitarian corridors for aid convoys in Gaza to allow the UN and other organisations to deliver food and medicine to Palestinians across the strip. The routes would be in place from 06:00 to 23:00 local time (04:00 BST to 21:00 BST).The pause in military activity would take place in three areas - Al-Mawasi, Deir al-Balah and Gaza City - from 10:00 to 20:00 local time (08:00 BST to 18:00 BST) each day until further notice, the IDF apparent concessions followed its acceptance of a Jordanian and UAE plan, backed by the UK, to air drop aid into Gaza. Israel launched a war in Gaza in response to the Hamas-led attack on southern Israel on 7 October 2023, in which about 1,200 people were killed and 251 others were taken than 59,000 people have been killed in Gaza since then, according to the Hamas-run health ministry.
