UK recognises state of Palestine: Jewish leader across island of Ireland hit out at Keir Starmer for making move without enforcing any of his conditions on Hamas
Jewish leaders from across the island of Ireland have hit out at the Prime Minister for recognising a Palestinian state without placing any preconditions on Hamas – widely classed as a terrorist organisation across the world.
The move comes ahead of the UN General Assembly this week, with other nations, including Australia and Canada, making similar moves shortly before Sir Keir Starmer’s announcement on Saturday.
The UK Government has acknowledged that recognising a Palestinian state would not ease the humanitarian crisis in Gaza nor contribute to the freeing of the hostages taken by Hamas.
In an effort to counter that criticism, Sir Keir said Hamas was a “brutal terror organisation” and confirmed plans to ratchet up sanctions on the group.
A state of Palestine is recognised by around 75% of the UN's 193 member states, but has no internationally agreed boundaries, capital or army - making recognition largely symbolic.
Michael Black, Deputy Chair of the Belfast Jewish Community, said he "can't see the move achieving anything".
He believes any election in Gaza will see Hamas re-elected under a new brand.
"All he has done is make Israel more vulnerable to these Islamist extremists,” he said.
He also said there are "600,000 Jews living in Judea and Samaria" - the Palestinian West Bank territory.
"What are they going to do with them? March them over the border?"
Mr Black noted that Hamas published a poster the day before the announcement to say Israel would never see any of its remaining 48 hostages again.
The poster shows photos of all 48 with the name 'Ron Arad' under each - an Israeli air force captain who went missing in 1986 in Lebanon.
He also noted that the mooted new head of Palestine state is 66-year-old former Fatah leader Marwan Barghouti, who is in jail after being linked to 26 murders.
Chief Rabbi of Ireland, Yoni Wieder, told the News Letter that the "most troubling" part of the announcement is that the UK has recognised Palestine "without attaching any conditions whatsoever".
"This could have been the moment to demand the immediate release of the remaining hostages," he said.
"Other vital preconditions were also ignored: a commitment to future peace with Israel, the reform of an education system that teaches children to hate Jews, and the emergence of a democratic Palestinian leadership. It is no surprise that Hamas has hailed this as a 'victory for the justice of our cause'."
"A peaceful and flourishing Palestine alongside Israel is a vision worth hoping for," he said, but "until these basic conditions are met, the prospect of a peaceful Palestinian state is, sadly, impossible".
Daniel Epstein of the Ireland Israel Alliance, said the UK had “equated” the democratic state of Israel with a terrorist group.
He added: "Israel is the size of New Jersey, and if reduced to the pre-1967 borders under the plan, this would leave the Jewish State only seven miles wide at it's narrowest point, making it indefensible.”
TUV MLA Timothy Gaston also decried the move in the Assembly on Monday.
He said: “Recognition of a Palestinian state is not a step towards peace; it is a betrayal of the only democracy in the Middle East and the people who are on the front line against Islamic extremism.”