Prime Minister of the United Kingdom Rishi Sunak, speaking in the House of Commons yesterday, said that what Hamas had done to Israel should be called “by its name: it was a pogrom”.
He said that “the murdered and the missing come from over 30 countries, including the United Kingdom” and the “terrible nature of these attacks” made it difficult to identify everyone, but “with a heavy heart” he could inform the house that at least six British citizens were killed and 10 were missing. He then outlined the evacuation measures, including working with the border authorities in Egypt.
The prime minister reassured the Jewish community in the UK, saying that the government stood with the community and that an additional GBP3 million was being allocated to ensure security for schools.
Reaching out to the Muslim community in the UK, the prime minister spoke some words of reassurance for it, too, saying that British Muslims must be “appalled” by Hamas’s actions.
Getting back to the subject of the “existential threat” to Israel from the actions of Hamas, he said, “Hamas is using innocent Palestinian people as human shields.”
Outlining what the nation of Israel meant for Jews, who had to endure the Holocaust, and referring to the Abraham Accords (of September 2020), the first step towards normalising Arab-Israeli ties, Sunak said that the Hamas attacks were “a fundamental challenge to any idea of coexistence, which is an essential precursor to peace and stability in the region”.
Elaborating on this, Sunak said, “I believe, we must support absolutely Israel’s right to defend itself — to go after Hamas, take back the hostages, deter further incursions, and strengthen its security for the long term. This must be done in line with international humanitarian laws, but also recognising that they face a vicious enemy that embeds itself behind civilians.”
Sunak added that the UK was increasing its military presence in the region to “track threats” to security, but “not engaging in fighting” in Gaza. He also said that British aid to the Palestinians was being increased “by a third”, with an additional humanitarian aid allocation of GBP10 million. “We must support the Palestinian people because they are victims of Hamas, too… Hamas simply does not stand for the future that the Palestinians want, and they seek to put the Palestinian people in harm’s way,” he said.
