Keir Starmer tells Benjamin Netanyahu of ‘clear and urgent’ need for Gaza ceasefire

Sir Keir Starmer has called for a ceasefire in Gaza and asserted that Palestinians have an “undeniable right” to statehood as part of the peace process, in his first conversations since becoming UK prime minister with the leaders of Israel and the Palestinian Authority.

Starmer spoke to his Israeli counterpart Benjamin Netanyahu on Sunday and said he was committed to continuing the “vital co-operation” between the two nations to deter malign threats.

On the Israel-Hamas war, Starmer set out the “clear and urgent need for a ceasefire”, the return of hostages and an immediate increase in humanitarian aid to civilians in Gaza.

He stressed the importance of ensuring the long-term conditions for a two-state solution in the region, including that the Palestinian Authority had the “financial means to operate effectively”.

He also said the situation on Israel’s northern border with Lebanon was “very concerning” and urged all parties to act with caution.

In a phone call with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, Starmer acknowledged the “ongoing suffering” and “devastating loss of life” in Gaza.

The UK prime minister also turned to the topic of “ensuring international legitimacy for Palestine” and said that his “long-standing policy on recognition to contribute to a peace process had not changed”, adding that it was the “undeniable right of Palestinians”, according to his statement.

It came after the new UK foreign secretary David Lammy said on Saturday that Britain would adopt a “more balanced position on Israel and Gaza”.

While Labour stormed to a landslide victory in the UK general election on July 4, the party haemorrhaged votes — and lost several of its MPs — to pro-Palestinian independent candidates in a number of seats with large Muslim populations.

Three aspects of the Labour administration’s policy on the conflict remain unclear, starting with its assessment of the lawfulness of continuing to license arms exports to Israel.

The second is whether it will reinstate funding for the UN agency for Palestinian refugees, which the UK suspended following Israeli claims that some of its staffers belonged to Hamas and had participated in the October 7 attacks.

There is also the question of what the UK will do if the International Criminal Court presses ahead with issuing arrest warrants, for which its chief prosecutor has applied, against Netanyahu and Israel’s defence minister Yoav Gallant for suspected war crimes in Gaza.

While Lammy said in May that the UK would seek to enforce such warrants if they were granted, Starmer has been more circumspect, commenting that: “I will deal with that when the court has made its decision.”

On Sunday, Starmer also held calls with the president of the United Arab Emirates, with whom he discussed deepening ties on defence, cyber security, trade and investment, as well as the president of South Africa, with whom he talked about bolstering links to tackle climate change.

The calls followed conversations on Friday and Saturday with the leaders of the US, Ukraine, India, Japan, Australia, Germany, France, Poland, Ireland, Italy and the European Commission.

Lammy sought to strengthen ties with European partners during his first weekend in office, choosing Germany, Poland and Sweden as destinations for his debut overseas tour.

Britain’s most senior diplomat placed the theme of security at the heart of talks during his visits, highlighting the importance of the UK and European allies working together to support Ukraine, bolster Nato’s defences and promote peace in the Middle East.

Calling for both sides to “put the Brexit years behind us”, Lammy told the Observer newspaper: “I want to be absolutely clear, European nations are our friends.”

He restated Labour’s red lines on the EU, ruling out rejoining the single market or a customs union, but stressed there was nonetheless “much that we can do together”.

On his first day in the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office on Friday, Lammy had calls with his foreign minister counterparts in the US, Ukraine, Ireland, UAE, Cayman Islands and Guyana.

On Tuesday, the foreign secretary will travel with Starmer and John Healey, the newly appointed UK defence secretary, to Nato’s 75th anniversary summit in Washington.