UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has said the 7 October Hamas attacks on Israel were motivated not just by “hatred” but also by an unease that Israel was forging new ties within the Middle East.
Speaking at the Lord Mayor’s Banquet in London, Sunak said Hamas feared that “a new Middle East is being born which would see Israel normalising its relationship with its neighbours.”
The prime minister spoke of his visit to Israel following the attacks and his meetings with the families of British victims.
“I sat with them, held their hands and saw the profound pain in their eyes. I heard the existential fear that the Israelis are feeling,” he said.
Sunak described Hamas as posing “a fundamental challenge” to the idea that the Holocaust could never happen again – referencing statements made by senior operatives that they would repeat 7 October “time and time again.”
Meanwhile, UK is set to ‘bolster’ support for Palestinian Authority and two-state solution
UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said that while the immediate priority in the Middle East conflict is to address “the suffering” in Gaza, work needed to be done to ensure future stability in the region.
Sunak said, “We need to do more to create a new political horizon.”
He called for unity around supporting a two-state solution which he described as “the only answer that can come close to creating peace”.
Sunak said he was ready to offer “serious, practical and enduring support” to help “bolster” the Palestinian Authority who he insisted were the best option to challenge Hamas in the territory.
