UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak met with Israeli leaders in Jerusalem on Oct. 19 as he began a two-day visit to the Middle East amid the Israel–Hamas war.
Mr. Sunak, who landed in Tel Aviv hours after U.S. President Joe Biden left the Israeli city, spoke with Israeli President Isaac Herzog and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. He planned to meet with Arab leaders from the region on Oct. 20.
Foreign Secretary James Cleverly has been in the Middle East since Oct. 18 for meetings with senior leaders in Egypt, Turkey, and Qatar.
Mr. Sunak “expressed his personal condolences for the horrific loss of life in Israel as a result of Hamas’s terrorism,” according to a government statement for Downing Street offered by a spokesman.
The spokesman said that Mr. Sunak “reiterated that the UK stands in solidarity with Israel” and “welcomed [an Oct. 18] announcement that Israel wouldn’t block aid from entering Gaza.”
The two leaders “agreed on the importance of getting urgent humanitarian support to ordinary Palestinians in Gaza who are also suffering” and “stressed the imperative need to avoid further escalation of violence in the region,” Downing Street stated.
Mr. Sunak also thanked the Israeli head of state for helping British nationals who were caught up in the attacks.
Speaking after the meeting, Mr. Sunak told Mr. Herzog he had “not just a right” but a “duty” to “restore security” to Israel.
“We will stand with you in solidarity with your people and your right to defend yourself to bring security back to your country, to your people, to ensure the safe return of the hostages that have been taken,” Mr. Sunak said. “I know we will talk further about that later.”
Mr. Herzog thanked Mr. Sunak for his support and said the military capabilities of “an empire of evil led by Tehran” must be uprooted so that Israelis can “live in peace with our Palestinian neighbors.”
Ahead of his departure from London, Mr. Sunak had called on regional and worldwide leaders to prevent escalation in the wake of a blast at the Al-Ahli Hospital in Gaza.
“Every civilian death is a tragedy. And too many lives have been lost following Hamas’s horrific act of terror,” he said.
“The attack on Al-Ahli Hospital should be a watershed moment for leaders in the region and across the world to come together to avoid further dangerous escalation of conflict.”
Tugendhat: ‘Irresponsible Speculation’ Has a Cost
The Hamas-controlled Gaza Health Ministry on Oct. 17 accused the Israeli military of killing hundreds at the Al-Ahli Hospital with an airstrike, but Israel Defense Forces (IDF) stated that the blast was a result of an errant rocket launched by the anti-Israel terrorist group Palestinian Islamic Jihad.The UK has yet to draw a conclusion. Security Minister Tom Tugendhat told Times Radio on Oct. 19 that “irresponsible speculation” has led to Arab leaders pulling out from talks with Mr. Biden.
“The reason we’re going to be so careful about this is that the premature speculation comes at a cost,” Mr. Tugendhat said. “Let’s be clear that the reality is there were the beginning of talks promised between President Biden and some Arab leaders, and irresponsible speculation led to some of those leaders walking away as they thought that it would be unacceptable to discuss such matters after Israel had been accused of this attack.”
He said that it “now appears that that was at best speculation and at worst propaganda by a terrorist organization.”
The resolution was vetoed by the United States, with U.S. Ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield noting that the resolution “made no mention of Israel’s right of self-defense.”
The resolution also “ignored the fact that innocent Palestinian civilians were being used as human shields,” Ms. Woodward said.
The IDF has urged civilians to leave Gaza City as it prepares for an offensive to eliminate Hamas; it has also said that the terrorist group, which controls Gaza, was “actively” stopping people from leaving.
