David Lammy is visiting Israel and the Palestinian Territories – his first trip to the Middle East as Foreign Secretary. On his meeting list so far are Benjamin Netanyahu, Palestinian Authority prime minister Mohammad Mustafa and relatives of the hostages taken on 7 October. The Foreign Secretary met Israeli President Isaac Herzog this morning.
Of all the foreign policy challenges facing Keir Starmer’s government, Israel/Palestine is the most contentious internally. Since 7 October, the question of how much support to show either side has divided the Labour party. Unhappiness over Starmer’s initial delay to back calls for a ceasefire as well as comments about Israel’s right to self defence saw the Labour leader suffer several frontbench resignations. In the general election, there were signs of a voter backlash: a number of pro-Gaza independents ousted Labour incumbents.
Lammy’s message for this trip is simple: it’s time for an immediate ceasefire. It echoes calls Keir Starmer made to both Netanyahu and Mustafa on entering 10 Downing Street. Speaking today, Lammy said: ‘I’m here to push for a ceasefire. The loss of life over the last few months… is horrendous. It has to stop.’ He has also announced further humanitarian funding and stressed the importance of international law.
Calling for a ceasefire is one thing, achieving it is another. Starmer and Lammy have both talked of the need for a two-state solution – but that currently seems some way away. Instead, the more immediate challenge for Lammy is likely to be on the thorny question of whether to limit or stop weapons sales to Israel over the loss of civilian life. There are plenty in the Labour party who want to see this happen – but it would cause ructions for the UK’s relationship with Israel.
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