AMANDA PLATELL: Greta chose a shoddy PR stunt, a flimsy ship and ignored the sick truth. This gormless self-styled freedom fighter should stick to saving polar bears
Although Greta and the 11 other activists on board self-importantly call their voyage the 'Freedom Flotilla', it has been rightly derided as the 'selfie yacht' by critics who cite the dozens of pictures released of Thunberg, standing on the prow with her hair blowing in the wind like some latter-day Joan of Arc.
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BBC News
40 minutes ago
- BBC News
Starmer suggests UK will play role in Gaza aid air drops
Sir Keir Starmer has suggested that the UK will play a role in dropping aid into Gaza by air after more than a third of MPs signed a letter calling on the government to recognise a Palestinian Friday, Israel said it would allow foreign countries to deliver air supplies in the coming days amid mounting international concern about humanitarian conditions in the territory."News that Israel will allow countries to airdrop aid into Gaza has come far too late – but we will do everything we can to get aid in via this route," the prime minister wrote in The Keir also said the UK was "urgently accelerating efforts" to evacuate children who need critical medical assistance to the UK for treatment. It comes as he faces growing pressure to recognise a Palestinian state - on Friday, France committed to recognising Palestinian statehood within 220 MPs from nine political parties - more than half of them Labour – signed a joint letter which said such a move would send a "powerful" message and a vital step toward a two-state President Donald Trump suggested French President Emmanuel Macron's announcement "doesn't matter" as he left the US for a visit to an earlier statement after an emergency phone call with President Macron and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, Sir Keir said recognising Palestinian statehood would have to be part of a "wider plan which ultimately results in a two-state solution".On Friday evening, Sir Keir said the government would "pull every lever" to deliver food and life-saving support to Palestinians. "This humanitarian catastrophe must end," he added in a post on X. The UK has been involved in previous efforts to airdrop aid into Gaza – a method aid agencies have cautioned is an inefficient way to deliver supplies. The previous Conservative government struck a deal with Jordan to deliver aid by air in 2024. Tonnes of supplies including medicines, food and fuel were dropped into northern Gaza by parachute from Jordanian Air Force same year the Royal Air Force began conducting air drops directly. The RAF went on to deliver over 100 tonnes of food over the course of 11 flights between March and May, according to the government. Israeli media reported that the United Arab Emirates and Jordan would carry out the latest drops, but a senior Jordanian official told the BBC that its military was yet to receive permission from Israel to do UN has described the move as a "distraction to inaction" by the Israeli food aid programme warned that almost one in three people in Gaza are going days without eating."Malnutrition is surging with 90,000 women and children in urgent need of treatment," the World Food Programme said in a which controls the entry of all supplies into the Palestinian territory, has repeatedly said that there is no siege and blames Hamas for cases of the outbreak of war in Gaza, two children with serious health conditions have been brought to the UK for private medical treatment. The young girls were granted temporary visas, arriving in the UK in May from Egypt with the assistance of Project Pure Hope, a humanitarian healthcare initiative.
Daily Mail
2 hours ago
- Daily Mail
Starmer risks cabinet revolt by rejecting MPs' demands to acknowledge a Palestinian state
A third of MPs last night piled pressure on Keir Starmer to acknowledge Palestine as a state as the humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza worsened. In a letter to the Prime Minister, 221 members across nine parties joined forces to press for UK recognition of Palestinian statehood at a UN Conference next week. They said they were 'expectant' that the outcome of the congress will be the Government 'outlining when and how it will act on its long-standing commitment on a two-state solution'. But Sir Keir resisted, insisting that recognition 'must be part of a wider plan which ultimately results in a two-state solution and lasting security for Palestinians and Israelis'. The letter came as UN agencies warned that Gaza is running out of specialised food to save severely malnourished children. Supplies of ready-to-use therapeutic food will run out by mid-August if nothing changes, they warned. Palestinians have accused the IDF of 'cutting off' Gaza, but Israel has insisted that Hamas is to blame for failing to deliver aid to civilians. Yesterday, journalist Ahmed al-Arini shared horrifying pictures of severely malnourished Muhammad Zakariya Ayyoub al-Matouq in his mother's arms in the spartan tent they now share in Gaza City to highlight the situation. Last night Donald Trump claimed Hamas didn't want to make a deal on a ceasefire in Gaza, as the US and Israel withdrew their negotiating teams from Qatar. Following the breakdown of talks, the US President – who was on his way to Scotland – said: 'It was too bad. Hamas didn't really want to make a deal. I think they want to die. 'Now we're down to the final hostages and they know what happens after you get the final hostages. Basically, because of that, they really didn't want to make a deal.' On Thursday, France announced it would recognise a Palestinian state – the first G7 nation to do so. President Emmanuel Macron said he would honour a 'historic commitment to a just and lasting peace in the Middle East', and also called for the 'demilitarisation' of Hamas. But Tory leader Kemi Badenoch warned Sir Keir against following France's lead. She said: 'The French government's decision to unilaterally recognise a Palestinian state in this context, outside any direct negotiations, while hostages are still held, undermines the prospects of a lasting peace and sends a dangerous message to the world. 'Keir Starmer must assist in seeking a peaceful end to this conflict rather than follow France's misguided decision to reward the terrorist group that started it. 'The only path to peace that will see an end to the appalling suffering in Gaza is the complete eradication of Hamas.' US Secretary of State Marco Rubio branded France's decision 'reckless' and said the US 'strongly rejects' the announcement. Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu also condemned Mr Macron's move, saying: 'A Palestinian state in these conditions would be a launch pad to annihilate Israel – not to live in peace beside it.' But France's decision has piled further pressure on Downing Street over its stance on Palestinian statehood. Health Secretary Wes Streeting called for recognition 'while there's still a state of Palestine left to recognise'. The UK Government has said it will designate Palestine as a state in conjunction with allies at the 'point of maximum impact' – though has not specified what that would be. Labour MP Sarah Champion, who organised the cross-party letter to Sir Keir, said that while 'recognition alone will not end the suffering in Gaza... it is an important symbolic step on the path to the two-state solution. That remains the only viable proposal to secure a lasting peace for the region'. The plea came as Israel said aid can be dropped into Gaza via parachutes. Last night the Lib Dems called on the RAF to 'lead the way' in delivering the drops.
The Independent
4 hours ago
- The Independent
Starmer rejects calls for Palestinian statehood as Trump flies to the UK
Sir Keir Starmer has rejected calls from MPs to immediately recognise a Palestinian state, as US President Donald Trump arrived in the UK amid the continued desperate situation in Gaza. Some 221 MPs have signed a letter urging the British Government to recognise the state of Palestine at a meeting of the UN next week. The UK would follow in the footsteps of France if it did, though Mr Trump claimed French President Emmanuel Macron's announcement was 'not going to change anything' ahead of flying to the UK on Friday. Sarah Champion, a senior Labour MP who co-ordinated the cross-party letter, said recognition 'would send a powerful symbolic message that we support the rights of the Palestinian people'. While the PM said he was 'unequivocal' about wanting to see a Palestinian state, he insisted this needed to be part of a 'wider plan which ultimately results in a two-state solution and lasting security for Palestinians and Israeli s'. The UK and its allies must work together to broker a peace, he added, likening the effort to the coalition of the willing to support Ukraine. Sir Keir is expected to meet Mr Trump on Monday, as the US president stays in Scotland ahead of a full state visit later this year. On Friday evening, amid mounting global anger over the starving population in Gaza, the Prime Minister also suggested the UK will play a role in dropping aid into Gaza by air. He welcomed that Israel said it would allow aid to be delivered by parachute to alleviate starvation in Gaza. The Prime Minister said the step had 'come far too late', but he insisted the UK will 'do everything we can to get aid in via this route'. Britain is already working alongside Jordan to get aid onto planes, the PM signalled, also adding that children from Gaza in need of specialist medical care will be evacuated to the UK for treatment. In a video statement released on Friday, Sir Keir made plain his desire for a ceasefire. He said: 'I know the British people are sickened by what is happening. The images of starvation and desperation are utterly horrifying. 'The denial of aid to children and babies is completely unjustifiable, just as the continued captivity of hostages is completely unjustifiable.' Meanwhile, in a statement released alongside German Chancellor Friedrich Merz and France's Mr Macron, the Prime Minister urged Israel to stop restricting the flow of aid into Gaza. A call between the three leaders was expected on Friday, but has been postponed until the weekend. US-led peace talks in Qatar were cut short on Thursday, with Washington's special envoy Steve Witkoff accusing Hamas of a 'lack of desire to reach a ceasefire'. The deal under discussion is expected to include a 60-day ceasefire, and aid supplies would be ramped up as negotiations on a lasting truce took place.
