Emily Thornberry: Starmer has 'a golden opportunity' to sway Trump on Gaza
'We can't have any more children starving to death, anybody else shot to death simply queuing up for aid. It's just completely and totally unacceptable,' Thornberry said on Thursday.
'Donald Trump has shown in the past, when he appreciates the human cost of what's going on, he can turn on a penny and go, 'This won't do. It must stop.''
Thornberry's comments come with the release of the Foreign Affairs Committee's report on its inquiry into the Israel-Palestine conflict.
The 72-page report calls, among other recommendations, for the urgent dismantling of GHF, the controversial US and Israeli-backed organisation, with over 100 aid organisations warning this week of the spread of mass starvation in Gaza under its tenure.
New MEE newsletter: Jerusalem Dispatch
Sign up to get the latest insights and analysis on Israel-Palestine, alongside Turkey Unpacked and other MEE newsletters
'We have a golden opportunity to say to Donald Trump, 'Look, whatever kind of goodwill there was behind doing this, it's not working. And actually, it's not working because you can't have four aid points instead of 400'," Thornberry said.
''We have to have something which is under the auspices of the United Nations and actually there was a lot more skill in handing out aid than people really thought . . . frankly, the other system just doesn't work. Let's quietly walk away from it'.'
The report also recommends that the UK government take immediate steps to "prepare a comprehensive ban" on goods imported from Israeli settlements and recognise the state of Palestine "while there is still a state to recognise".
'To be honest, nobody else is going to stop Netanyahu apart from President Trump'
- Emily Thornberry, MP and Foreign Affairs committee chair
Starmer and Trump's scheduled talks fall on the same day as the start of a UN conference in which France had earlier suggested it might recognise the state of Palestine.
But late on Thursday, French President Emmanuel Macron announced that his country would recognise a Palestinian state in September at the UN General Assembly.
British Foreign Secretary David Lammy has repeatedly said that the UK wants to recognise Palestine as part of a pathway towards a two-state solution, but at time when recognition would be most conducive to securing a peace process.
Thornberry said, whether next week or in September, she would like to see the UK recognise Palestine with France.
Even if the move may be 'only symbolic' in some ways, it is an important first step to getting the UK 'back into the ring and saying, 'Right. Let's play our part'," Thornberry said.
'It has a power because they were the countries behind Sykes-Picot, the secret agreement that carved up the Middle East in the first place."
Palestinian recognition would underline to the Israeli people 'just how isolated Netanyahu has made Israel' and would align the UK with Arab countries in a powerful way, she said.
'I think working together, there being a united, international voice that says, 'This is the only alternative that we know about',' Thornberry said.
She said she doesn't think Trump and his advisors have thoroughly considered what recognising Palestine could accomplish and, again, suggested the UK use diplomacy to encourage a shift which she believes will restore the hope that will be neccessary to rebuild Gaza.
'We can do that heavy lifting and then give to Donald Trump a peace, wrapped up in a pink bow, and say to him, 'We now need you because we can't do it by ourselves. We need the man who has more strength than 10 presidents',' she said.
'To be honest, nobody else is going to stop Netanyahu apart from President Trump.'
'We really need to be much stronger'
The committee's report noted that the UK has halted trade talks with Israel which it says it expects will continue until an internationally-recognised peace settlement has been agreed.
However, it said there should be "a different approach" towards Israeli settlements in the West Bank and East Jerusalem and that the government should prepare and apply a comprehensive ban on the import of goods from the settlements.
"We should not be trading with the settlements, and we should be sanctioning companies that are involved in building settlements and facilitating the settlements," Thornberry told MEE.
"The settlements are built on the land that we expect to be able to be used by a Palestinian state, so it's not only illegal. It's undermining peace, and we really need to be much stronger than we have been before now."
Children in Gaza die as David Lammy says UK is 'happy to do more' to help Read More »
The committee also urges the government to support a medical evacuation of critically injured children to the UK, including "the provision of safe transport and the efficient handling of travel permits and entry visas".
Until now, the UK has only taken in two Palestinian children for medical treatment in Britain. The two girls, who arrived in April, had already been evacuated from Gaza to Egypt before they came to the UK for care that is fully funded by charitable donations.
Unlike EU countries and the US, the UK requires potential medical evacuees from Gaza to obtain visas with biometrics, with the closest visa processing centres in Egypt and Jordan.
Doctors and aid workers say this has complicated the process of bringing wounded and suffering children directly from Gaza to the UK for help, and have recently asked the government to help bring a group of 20 to 40 children directly from Gaza.
Thornberry said her first trip of many to Israel and Palestine was in the late 1970s when she recalled her half-sisters receiving presents on Gaza Beach from a Father Christmas who arrived on the back of a camel.
"Everytime I've gone, it's gotten worse, and it breaks my heart. And, of course, when it comes to this current conflict, it's really frustrating and distressing to see what's happening and to see just long periods where nothing seems to happen apart from more and more people dying," she said.
"The temptation to just look away and go, 'This is just too hard, let's do something else', is a real one . . . But now, in all the distress and destruction and the death, maybe this is the time when people will finally take this seriously and do something about it."
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Khaleej Times
14 minutes ago
- Khaleej Times
Trump says speaking with Cambodia, Thailand about ceasefire
US President Donald Trump said Saturday he was talking with the leaders of Cambodia and Thailand in a bid to end their border conflict that has left at least 33 people dead. "Just spoke to the Prime Minister of Cambodia relative to stopping the War with Thailand," Trump, who is on a visit to Scotland, said in a post on his Truth Social network. "I have just spoken to the Acting Prime Minister of Thailand, and it was a very good conversation," he said soon after in a new post. "Thailand, like Cambodia, wants to have an immediate Ceasefire, and PEACE," he added. "I am now going to relay that message back to the Prime Minister of Cambodia. After speaking to both Parties, Ceasefire, Peace, and Prosperity seems to be a natural. We will soon see!" Tensions flared over long-contested ancient temple sites before fighting spread along the countries' rural border region, marked by a ridge of hills surrounded by wild jungle and agricultural land where locals farm rubber and rice. Clashes, now in their third day, broke out Saturday in the countries' coastal regions where they meet on the Gulf of Thailand, around 250 kilometres (160 miles) southwest of the main frontlines. "I am trying to simplify a complex situation! Many people are being killed in this War, but it very much reminds me of the Conflict between Pakistan and India, which was brought to a successful halt," Trump said. Trump also indicated he would not move forward on trade deals with either nation until fighting has stopped.
Middle East Eye
21 minutes ago
- Middle East Eye
Police station stormed in Egypt as outrage over Gaza blockade reaches boiling point
On the night of 25 July 2025, a group of young Egyptians launched a bold attack that shook Egypt's political order. Calling themselves 'Iron 17,' they stormed the State Security headquarters at the Ma'asara police station in Helwan, detaining several security personnel for hours in an unprecedented act, the first of its kind since Abdel Fattah al-Sisi's rise to power in 2013 as president. More than just an attack on a government building, the raid, captured in viral videos, exposed mounting public fury that could threaten Sisi's grip on power. Much of this anger stems from Egypt's role in the ongoing humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza and the closure of the Rafah crossing. Since Israel seized the Palestinian side of the Rafah crossing in May 2024, Gaza's humanitarian crisis has worsened, with dozens, mainly children, dying of starvation according to the Palestinian Health Ministry. The Egyptian regime, denying responsibility for the closure, faces accusations of failing to pressure for its reopening. This stance has fuelled public outrage, with many seeing it as capitulation to Israeli and US pressures at the expense of the Palestinian cause. New MEE newsletter: Jerusalem Dispatch Sign up to get the latest insights and analysis on Israel-Palestine, alongside Turkey Unpacked and other MEE newsletters Adding fuel to the fire, North Sinai Governor Khaled Megawer, in a Friday interview with pro-regime journalist Mustafa Bakri, admitted Egypt cannot forcibly reopen Rafah due to US opposition, a statement critics view as an implicit admission of Cairo's role in the closure. Security lapse exploited during Friday prayers Through the Telegram channel 'Nation's Flood,' which has nearly 50,000 subscribers, footage emerged showing young men inside the Ma'asara State Security office, holding officers captive for hours. The videos, viewed millions of times, showed the group condemning the closure of the Rafah crossing, a lifeline for Gaza's besieged population, and the arrests of activists collecting aid for the enclave. In one chilling exchange, a detained officer responded to demands to reopen Rafah with a single word: 'Impossible.' These clips are not just documentation; they stand as a testament to a people fed up with a regime they accuse of complicity in Gaza's suffering. The question of how the group accessed a high-security facility was quickly answered. Displaced Palestinian children chat with an Egyptian soldier standing guard behind the fence between Egypt and Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip on April 26, 2024 (AFP) Leaked documents, posted on the same Telegram channel, revealed lists of individuals under Egypt's notorious 'security monitoring' programme, which requires released prisoners to check in regularly at police stations. One video explained that the group chose Friday prayers on 25 July for their operation, taking advantage of lax security during that time. Former detainees corroborated this, noting the ease of accessing the State Security office on the fourth floor for routine check-ins, a gap the group exploited to enter and detain personnel. The leaked documents also exposed names of current detainees and forcibly disappeared individuals linked to charges like protesting or alleged ties to the Muslim Brotherhood. They included security classifications, labelling people as Brotherhood members, Salafists, or sympathisers. The FactCheckar, an independent fact-checking initiative, in a detailed analysis on its official Facebook page, confirmed the authenticity of some names, including Fathi Rajab Hassan Ahmed and Ahmed Nadi Haddad Darwish, both tied to the 'Helwan Brigades' case, and Abdel Rahman Ramadan Mohamed Abdel Shafi, previously listed as forcibly disappeared in a 2024 report by the Shahab Center for Human Rights. Egyptian response: denial and deflection Egypt's Interior Ministry quickly issued a statement denying the videos' authenticity, claiming they were fabricated as part of a Muslim Brotherhood-led conspiracy. Exclusive: Egypt presidency forced Al-Azhar to delete statement condemning Israel's starvation of Gaza Read More » While it announced arrests of those involved in spreading the footage, it avoided addressing the validity of the leaked documents, merely stating they were unrelated to the incident. This knee-jerk denial, a familiar tactic, failed to mask the ministry's embarrassment and fuelled criticism that the regime is trapped in denial, dismissing legitimate grievances as foreign plots. A subsequent video from 'Nation's Flood' showed one of the young men, bloodied and with torn clothes, insisting they were not terrorists and had used an empty sound pistol, aiming only to send a message. He sought assurances from a detained officer that they would not be harmed if released. Still, communication with the group abruptly ceased, and all prior messages on the Telegram channel vanished, raising questions about whether security forces had seized control of the channel or its administrators had deleted the content. Iron 17's manifesto: a call to awaken society Hours before the channel went silent, it released an audio statement styled like Palestinian faction communiques, claiming responsibility for the 'Iron 17' operation. The statement, attributed to Ahmed Abdel Wahab and Mohsen Mustafa, rejected any political affiliations, describing themselves as 'heirs of Omar ibn al-Khattab and Amr ibn al-Aas' seeking to revive Egypt's national spirit. The figures in question refers to invoking early Islamic military and political leaders that symbolised strength, justice, and national revival. Their message was clear: end the genocide in Gaza and stop repressing Egyptians. Addressing the Egyptian people, they decried the 'severe blows' inflicted on the nation and vowed to rouse it from its 'death.' Italian and European parliament members hold placards during a protest in front of the Egyptian side of the Rafah border crossing, calling for aid to be allowed into the Gaza on May 18, 2025 (AFP) Social media buzzed with polarised reactions. Some doubted the videos' authenticity, while others saw them as a genuine outcry. Critics blamed the regime's relentless repression and heavy-handed security measures for pushing people to such extremes. Others, echoing the government narrative, accused the Muslim Brotherhood and regional actors of orchestrating a plot to destabilise Egypt with fake videos and misinformation. On Saturday morning, the Egyptian presidency's spokesperson posted a brief statement about a meeting between Sisi and Interior Minister Mahmoud Tawfiq, without detailing its agenda. Pro-regime outlets suggested it discussed security updates and an upcoming reshuffle of Interior Ministry officers, though it remains unclear whether Sisi addressed the Ma'asara incident or considered dismissing Tawfiq. Political fallout: a regime under pressure The Ma'asara incident was not an isolated act. It followed a wave of protests the previous week outside Egyptian embassies in European capitals, sparked by activist Anas Habib in the Netherlands, who symbolically locked embassy gates to protest the Rafah closure. These actions spread to other cities, amplifying the message that Egyptians, both at home and abroad, reject what they see as complicity in Gaza's plight. The Ma'asara operation builds on this momentum, showing that anger is translating into bold action. Lebanese security forces block the road leading to the Egyptian embassy in Beirut during a protest against the closure of the Rafah crossing between Egypt and the Gaza Strip (AFP) The Ma'asara storming, coupled with embassy protests, signals growing pressure on a regime already grappling with economic and social crises. These actions could embolden opposition forces to organise further, especially amid intensifying repression. Sisi's reliance on brute force may backfire if public demands for Gaza and domestic reform are ignored. The current unrest echoes the spirit of the January 25 Revolution, hinting at a potential turning point where Egyptians reclaim their voice. Ultimately, the Ma'asara incident stands as a resounding cry against injustice, both in Gaza and within Egypt. The regime faces a critical test: heed these voices or risk an escalation that could reshape the political landscape.
Khaleej Times
44 minutes ago
- Khaleej Times
Trump job cuts: US space agency Nasa to lose nearly 4,000 employees, 20% of workforce
The US space agency National Aeronautics and Space Administration (Nasa) will lose about 3,900 employees under Donald Trump's sweeping effort to trim the federal workforce — at the same time as the president prioritises plans for crewed missions to the Moon and Mars. In an emailed statement, Nasa said around 3,000 employees took part in the second round of its deferred resignation programme, which closed late Friday. Combined with the 870 who joined the first round and regular staff departures, the agency's civil servant workforce is set to drop from more than 18,000 before Trump took office in January to roughly 14,000 — a more than 20 per cent decrease. Those leaving the National Aeronautics and Space Administration on the deferred resignation programme will be placed on administrative leave until an agreed departure date. An agency spokesperson said the figures could shift slightly in the coming weeks. "Safety remains a top priority for our agency as we balance the need to become a more streamlined and more efficient organization and work to ensure we remain fully capable of pursuing a Golden Era of exploration and innovation, including to the Moon and Mars," the agency said. Earlier this year, the Trump administration's proposed Nasa budget put a return to the Moon and a journey to Mars front and centre, slashing science and climate programs. The White House says it wants to focus on "beating China back to the Moon and putting the first human on Mars." China is aiming for its first crewed lunar landing by 2030, while the US program, called Artemis, has faced repeated delays. Nasa is still run by an acting administrator after the administration's initial pick to lead the agency, tech billionaire Jared Isaacman — endorsed by former Trump advisor Elon Musk — was ultimately rejected by the Republican president.
