Keir Starmer has criticised Israel’s prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, saying he is “wrong” to reject moves to establish a Palestinian state. The Labour leader stepped up criticism of Israel’s government, after Netanyahu told the White House that he rejects any moves to establish a Palestinian state when Israel ends its offensive in Gaza, and that all territory west of the Jordan River would be under Israeli security control.
Starmer has supported Israel’s “right to defend itself” in Gaza against Hamas but has more recently called for a sustainable ceasefire and hit out at the “intolerable” casualties. His position has caused tensions within Labour, with many in the party pressing him to be more critical of Israel’s military action which has caused an estimated 24,000 deaths. Asked for his reaction to the Israeli prime minister, Starmer told broadcasters: “The comments [made by] prime minister Netanyahu are unacceptable and they are wrong. “Palestinian statehood is not in the gift of a neighbour. It is the inalienable right of the Palestinian people. It’s also the only way to a secure settlement and a secure future.” Netanyahu’s public statement on Thursday is his most forceful rebuttal of US foreign policy at a time when the Biden administration has expended huge domestic political capital to support Israel militarily and in international forums. The White House responded by saying the US would continue working towards a two-state solution and that there could be no Israeli reoccupation of Gaza when the war concluded. “There will be a post-conflict Gaza, no reoccupation of Gaza,” the White House national security adviser, John Kirby, told reporters onboard Air Force One after Netanyahu’s speech. Rishi Sunak has previously said the UK’s longstanding position is that a two-state solution is the right outcome. He has also described continuing military action by Israel in Gaza as “incredibly concerning”. The Conservative government and the Labour opposition, along with the US, have both said they back Israel’s right to defend itself after Hamas’s 7 October attacks. Both have expressed support for a two-state solution to the conflict and a “sustainable” ceasefire – but have resisted calls to back an immediate one.