Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has accused UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer, French President Emmanuel Macron, and Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney of “emboldening Hamas” after they called for a halt to Israel’s military offensive in Gaza and an end to restrictions on humanitarian aid.
In a post on X on Thursday evening, Netanyahu said Hamas wanted to “destroy the Jewish state” and “annihilate the Jewish people”. He added: “I could never understand how this simple truth evades the leaders of France, Britain, Canada and others.”
Netanyahu’s comments came after the three leaders condemned Israel’s “egregious” actions in Gaza earlier this week, warning of “concrete actions” unless Israel changed course. The Israeli PM said their actions were “not advancing peace” but “emboldening Hamas to continue fighting for ever”.
The UK’s armed forces minister, Luke Pollard, defended the government’s position on Friday, saying he did not agree with Netanyahu’s claim that the UK was siding with mass murderers. He told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme: “We stand in support of Israel’s right to self-defence, as long as they conduct that within international humanitarian law.”
Pollard also reiterated the UK’s call for an immediate ceasefire, the release of hostages, and the delivery of humanitarian aid to Gaza. The row comes as UK-Israeli relations have plunged to their lowest for decades, with the British foreign secretary suspending negotiations over a new free trade deal and imposing sanctions on some Israeli settlers.
