Downing Road later pressured that ‘the UK and Israel are longstanding allies’ regardless of their variations.
Printed On 11 Sep 2025
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer has criticised Israel’s “man-made famine” in Gaza following a controversial assembly with Israeli President Isaac Herzog in London.
“They need to cease the man-made famine from worsening additional by letting help in and halting their offensive operations,” a Downing Road spokesperson stated following the assembly on Wednesday.
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Starmer “implored Israel to vary course” in Gaza, the spokesperson stated.
The uncommon rebuke marks considered one of Starmer’s strongest criticisms of Israel since taking workplace in July 2024. It additionally comes as help teams warn that lots of of 1000’s of Palestinians in Gaza face catastrophic starvation after almost two years of bombardment and blockade.
Herzog’s go to to London drew widespread criticism in the UK, with 1000’s demonstrating outdoors Downing Road for a second consecutive day, in keeping with the Palestine Solidarity Marketing campaign.
Protesters additionally gathered on the London-based suppose tank Chatham Home, banging pots and pans as Herzog delivered a speech.
“There’s a genocide occurring and the president of that nation is in our nation and being welcomed right here, when no one is pleased about it,” a protester advised Al Jazeera.
“This isn’t diplomacy,” stated one other protester.
“You might be aiding and abetting a genocide – and this man is just not welcome in our nation.”
The assembly between Herzog and Starmer got here a day after Israel launched an air strike on Qatar, an in depth ally of the USA and the UK, that focused a Hamas management delegation.
The Downing Road spokesperson stated Starmer advised Herzog the strike on Doha was “unacceptable” and condemned it as “a flagrant violation of a key associate’s sovereignty”.
Regardless of the sharp phrases, the spokesperson added that “the UK and Israel are longstanding allies”.
Talking after his assembly with Starmer, Herzog confirmed the 2 leaders had “argued out of respect”.
“Issues have been stated that have been powerful and powerful,” Herzog stated, including, “Clearly, we are able to argue, as a result of when allies meet, they’ll argue. We’re each democracies.”
Herzog additionally stated that he had invited the UK to ship “a fact-finding mission” to Israel “to check the state of affairs in Gaza on the humanitarian stage”.
Herzog beforehand stated publicly that the “complete [Palestinian] nation” was liable for the October 7 assaults on Israel, and two months later, he was witnessed personally signing artillery shells because of be fired into Gaza.
In parliament earlier on Wednesday, Scottish Nationwide Get together chief Stephen Flynn requested: “What does it say of this prime minister that he’ll harbour this man while kids starve?”
Starmer defended his choice to satisfy Herzog, rejecting calls to chop diplomatic ties. “I can’t surrender on diplomacy,” he stated.
“That’s the politics of scholars.”
