Well, here’s a surprise. If, that is, one defines surprise as something obvious, certain and entirely predictable. Hamas has said its “armed resistance” will continue until an “independent, fully sovereign Palestinian state with Jerusalem as its capital” is established.
The only person who might actually be surprised by this is Sir Keir Starmer, who on Tuesday revealed himself to be not so much out of his depth in dealing with Middle East policy as plain deceitful. Sir Keir, you will remember, announced on Tuesday that the UK would recognise a Palestinian state next month, but only if Hamas refused to agree to a cease fire.
He didn’t put it like that, of course: he said that if Israel instituted a cease fire then the UK wouldn’t recognise a Palestinian state. Or to put it the other way round, no cease fire means recognition of a Palestinian state. But it takes both combatants to agree to a deal and, as the US negotiators attest, while Israel has repeatedly agreed to a cease fire, Hamas has repeatedly refused. So in effect the decision lies in Hamas’ hands.
And guess what has happened? Hamas has today responded to Sir Keir’s announcement – and the request of Arab states including Qatar, Saudi Arabia and Egypt that Hamas disarm – by responding to the offer that if they refuse a cease fire they can have a state by saying, quelle surprise, that their “resistance” will continue.
Ever since the Hamas massacre of 1200 Jews on 7 October 2023, Sir Keir has stressed how committed he is to the release of the hostages. He has met Emily Damari, who was released earlier this year, and he has met some of the hostages’ families. To each of them, he has said the same thing: that the remaining hostages must be released.
But for the prime minister, talk is not so much cheap as a lie. For the first time since 7 October, he had the chance this week to really show he meant what he said and to make UK recognition of a Palestinian state conditional on the release of the hostages – which is a pre-requisite for any cease fire. He chose not to do so. We know this was deliberate and not an oversight not only because he and other ministers have refused to correct reports pointing this out, but also because in a meeting on Thursday night between Foreign Office officials and four British families of hostages, along with their lawyers, this was made unambiguously clear.
On Friday the families’ lawyers, Adam Rose and Adam Wagner KC, said that “it was made obvious to us at the meeting that although the conditions for recognising a Palestinian state would be assessed ‘in the round’ in late-September, in deciding whether to go ahead with recognition, the release or otherwise of the hostages would play no part in those considerations.”
Be clear about what this signals. When you hear Sir Keir or any other minister talk about the government being committed to the safety of Jews and to peace in the Middle East, they are, quite simply, lying.
Sir Keir and David Lammy, who is said to have been pushing for recognition for months, are not only devoid of common sense, since their so-called plan for peace is a plan for Hamas to have the initiative; they are devoid of decency.
Today’s statement by Hamas is not in any way revealing. There is nothing that would surprise anyone who has any understanding of who and what Hamas is. It merely underlines the madness of treating Hamas as some sort of negotiating partner, rather than as a terrorist organisation which must be destroyed.
Well, here’s a surprise. If, that is, one defines surprise as something obvious, certain and entirely predictable. Hamas has said its “armed resistance” will continue until an “independent, fully sovereign Palestinian state with Jerusalem as its capital” is established.
The only person who might actually be surprised by this is Sir Keir Starmer, who on Tuesday revealed himself to be not so much out of his depth in dealing with Middle East policy as plain deceitful. Sir Keir, you will remember, announced on Tuesday that the UK would recognise a Palestinian state next month, but only if Hamas refused to agree to a cease fire.
He didn’t put it like that, of course: he said that if Israel instituted a cease fire then the UK wouldn’t recognise a Palestinian state. Or to put it the other way round, no cease fire means recognition of a Palestinian state. But it takes both combatants to agree to a deal and, as the US negotiators attest, while Israel has repeatedly agreed to a cease fire, Hamas has repeatedly refused. So in effect the decision lies in Hamas’ hands.
And guess what has happened? Hamas has today responded to Sir Keir’s announcement – and the request of Arab states including Qatar, Saudi Arabia and Egypt that Hamas disarm – by responding to the offer that if they refuse a cease fire they can have a state by saying, quelle surprise, that their “resistance” will continue.
Ever since the Hamas massacre of 1200 Jews on 7 October 2023, Sir Keir has stressed how committed he is to the release of the hostages. He has met Emily Damari, who was released earlier this year, and he has met some of the hostages’ families. To each of them, he has said the same thing: that the remaining hostages must be released.
But for the prime minister, talk is not so much cheap as a lie. For the first time since 7 October, he had the chance this week to really show he meant what he said and to make UK recognition of a Palestinian state conditional on the release of the hostages – which is a pre-requisite for any cease fire. He chose not to do so. We know this was deliberate and not an oversight not only because he and other ministers have refused to correct reports pointing this out, but also because in a meeting on Thursday night between Foreign Office officials and four British families of hostages, along with their lawyers, this was made unambiguously clear.
On Friday the families’ lawyers, Adam Rose and Adam Wagner KC, said that “it was made obvious to us at the meeting that although the conditions for recognising a Palestinian state would be assessed ‘in the round’ in late-September, in deciding whether to go ahead with recognition, the release or otherwise of the hostages would play no part in those considerations.”
Be clear about what this signals. When you hear Sir Keir or any other minister talk about the government being committed to the safety of Jews and to peace in the Middle East, they are, quite simply, lying.
Sir Keir and David Lammy, who is said to have been pushing for recognition for months, are not only devoid of common sense, since their so-called plan for peace is a plan for Hamas to have the initiative; they are devoid of decency.
Today’s statement by Hamas is not in any way revealing. There is nothing that would surprise anyone who has any understanding of who and what Hamas is. It merely underlines the madness of treating Hamas as some sort of negotiating partner, rather than as a terrorist organisation which must be destroyed.