London (Parliament Politics Magazine) – Families of Israeli hostages plan a protest on Downing Street to demand their release before the UK recognises Palestine amid rising political tensions.
As reported by The Independent, relatives of Israeli hostages taken on October 7, 2023, will march on Downing Street to demand their release from Hamas.
A “national march for the hostages” will take place in London, organised by Stop the Hate UK and other Jewish groups.
What did Stop the Hate urge about the Israeli hostages and UK policy?
According to Stop the Hate, demonstrators will demand that UK Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer focus on releasing 50 Israeli hostages.
Nearly 20 of them are believed to be alive, and their release should happen before recognising a Palestinian state.
Marchers’ views on Keir Starmer’s stance on hostages and Palestine
Noga Guttman, cousin of 24-year-old Evyatar David, who was kidnapped, is expected to attend the demonstration.
The march will feature the families of Avinatan Or, who was kidnapped from the Nova music festival along with his girlfriend, Noa Argamani.
Mr Or’s cousin Ariel Felber, from London, stated,
“Keir Starmer has failed the hostages and their families by not making it a condition that all the remaining hostages are brought home to their loved ones before he can even entertain talk of state recognition of Palestine. He urgently needs to correct this.”
Steve Brisley from Bridgend, Wales, lost his sister and nieces in the recent violence, while his brother-in-law was taken hostage, stated,
“As British families of hostages and victims, devastated by the ongoing suffering of our loved ones, our emotional torture has been exacerbated by the suggestion that the UK may recognise a Palestinian state without securing the release of the hostages as an absolute precondition. This is not about politics. This is about basic humanity.”
Protesters will include Ayelet Svatitzky, whose brothers and nieces were murdered. Adam Ma’anit will also join; his cousin, Tsachi Idan, was killed and later confirmed dead.
Campaign Against Antisemitism’s views on the hostage crisis
A spokesperson for Campaign Against Antisemitism, one of the organisations attending the march, stated, “The situation for the hostages is absolutely desperate.”
They added,
“People from right across the Jewish community, from every denomination, are uniting with us to say that the UK must focus all of its diplomatic pressure on securing the return of the hostages.”
What did Israel say about Gaza’s future control?
Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office said Israel will pursue “the demilitarisation of the Gaza Strip.”
They also called for “Israeli security control in the Gaza Strip” and “the establishment of an alternative civil administration that is neither Hamas nor the Palestinian Authority.”
What did Keir Starmer say about Israel’s plans and Palestine recognition?
Sir Keir Starmer slammed Israel’s plans to take control of Gaza as “wrong”. He urged for a peace process, a boost in humanitarian aid, and the release of hostages by Hamas.
The prime minister warned that Britain would recognise a Palestinian state unless Israel takes steps to resolve the humanitarian crisis. He added that Israel must also revive the prospect of a two-state solution.
Mr Starmer insisted that recognising Palestine would not aid Hamas, stressing the “terrorist group” could play “no part in any future government.”
Referring to Israel taking over Gaza, the Labour leader said,
“This action will do nothing to bring an end to this conflict or to help secure the release of the hostages. It will only bring more bloodshed.”
He stated,
“Every day the humanitarian crisis in Gaza worsens and hostages taken by Hamas are being held in appalling and inhuman conditions. What we need is a ceasefire, a surge in humanitarian aid, the release of all hostages by Hamas and a negotiated solution. Hamas can play no part in the future of Gaza and must leave as well as disarm.”
Mr Starmer added,
“Our message is clear: a diplomatic solution is possible, but both parties must step away from the path of destruction.”
What did Sir Ed Davey say about Netanyahu’s Gaza plans?
Liberal Democrat leader Ed Davey condemned the plans as “utterly abhorrent” and accused Netanyahu of pursuing ethnic cleansing.
He said,
“This plan will only serve to wreak more devastation on the lives of millions of Gazans-whose homes and communities have already been destroyed – while endangering the lives of those hostages still held by Hamas.”
Mr Davey added,
“Rather than sitting on its hands and issuing strongly worded statements, the UK government needs to take decisive action. Keir Starmer needs to stop the export of all UK arms to Israel – today – and sanction Netanyahu and his cabinet.”
What did JD Vance say about the UK’s recognition of Palestine?
U.S. Vice President JD Vance, during his meeting with UK Foreign Secretary David Lammy, said,
“Obviously, the United Kingdom is going to make its decision. We have no plans to recognise the Palestinian state. I don’t know what it would mean to really recognise a Palestinian state given the lack of functional government there.”
He added that both nations wanted to solve the crisis, but
“may have some disagreements about how exactly to accomplish that goal, and we’ll talk about that today.”
Mr Vance stated,
“There’s a lot of common objectives here. There is some, I think, disagreement about how exactly to accomplish those common objectives, but look, it’s a tough situation. Of course, we’re not going to know exactly how to solve a very complicated problem.”