UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer hosted Israeli President Isaac Herzog for a contentious meeting Wednesday, with relations strained between their countries and protests held against Herzog’s London visit.
Herzog’s visit came as Starmer has in recent months toughened his criticism of how Israel is waging its war in Gaza, and put the UK on the path to recognise a Palestinian state.
The pair shook hands in front of photographers and TV cameras in Downing Street, with few smiles on display, as the meeting got underway Wednesday afternoon.
In the face-to-face, Starmer condemned Israel’s air strikes against Hamas leaders in Doha the previous day, a Downing Street spokesperson said.
“He said the strikes were a flagrant violation of a key partner’s sovereignty and do nothing to secure the peace we all desperately want to see,” the spokesperson added.
Starmer also raised “huge concern” about the “man-made famine” in Gaza and called for the resumption of aid and the “halting of offensive operations”.
“We had a very frank and open discussion…. It was a meeting between allies, but it was a tough meeting,” Herzog said after the talks. He repeated Israel’s denial that famine was happening in Gaza.
The United Nations declared famine last month in parts of Gaza, warning that 500,000 people face “catastrophic” conditions.
– Palestinian state –
The Israeli president said he used the meeting to reiterate that a “unilateral resolution regarding a Palestinian state will be adverse and negatively affect any future process”.
Starmer announced in late July his government would join France, Canada and other countries in recognising a Palestinian state at the United Nations General Assembly in September unless Israel takes specific steps towards peace in Gaza.
Calling for the return of hostages, Starmer and Herzog agreed that Hamas could not be part of any peace process, according to Downing Street.
The Israeli president’s office said he would also “protest the notion of sanctions against the only democracy in the Middle East”, meaning Israel.
The UK has sanctioned Israeli finance minister Bezalel Smotrich and national security minister Itamar Ben-Gvir for inciting violence against Palestinians.
Rights groups and some UK lawmakers, including from the ruling centre-left Labour party, have said the government should not have allowed Herzog to visit.
– Protests –
Starmer’s government has also come under pressure from critics of Israel to say the country has committed genocide with its military campaign in Gaza.
Shouts of “stop the genocide” could be heard from a protester outside the Downing Street gates as Herzog arrived.
A protester threw a red smoke canister towards Herzog’s convoy as it left. Police were seen detaining a person and removing the canister after the vehicles drove away.
London insisted this week it has not determined that Israel is committing genocide, following the publication by a parliamentary watchdog committee of a September 1 letter by then-foreign secretary David Lammy.
It stated: “As per the Genocide Convention, the crime of genocide occurs only where there is specific ‘intent to destroy, in whole or in part, a national, ethnic, racial or religious group’.
“The Government has not concluded that Israel is acting with that intent.”
Starmer’s official spokesman has said that the letter — written just prior to Lammy becoming interior minister in a government reshuffle last week — “reflects the UK’s position that we’ve not come to any conclusion” on the matter.
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