By Jane Prinsley
Copyright thejc
Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer has been criticised by a Tory peer for praising Qatar’s “vital mediation role” in the Israel-Hamas war. Speaking during a joint video call with the leaders of Qatar, Jordan, Egypt, France and Canada, Starmer applauded the Gulf state’s continued involvement in talks – despite concerns over its ties to Hamas, whose political leadership is based in Qatar. The prime minister “applauded Qatar’s vital mediation role and their steadfast commitment to continuing with talks, adding that the UK stands ready to support these efforts,” according to a Downing Street spokesman. Lord Pickles, the chair of Conservative Friends of Israel in the House of Lords, attacked the idea that Qatar is a neutral partner for peace. Speaking to the JC, the Tory peer said: “The notion that Qatar is a neutral broker in the Gaza conflict is a well-crafted myth. “Qatar gifted Hamas terrorists their HQ in Doha and was among the first nations to bizarrely blame Israel for the atrocities of October 7.” On October 7 2023, Qatar released a statement saying it held Israel “solely responsible” for the Hamas-led attack. Pickles went on: “It is disappointing but unsurprising to see the prime minister now lauding [Qatar’s] role. The UK was once in a position to encourage the Qataris to put pressure on Hamas to release hostages. “Now, British policy in the Middle East is in tatters, and the UK Government has become an irrelevant observer whose pronouncements are regularly ignored.” The prime minister’s support for Qatar follows Israel’s attempted assassination of Hamas leaders in Doha last week, which Starmer condemned and said did “nothing to secure the peace that the UK and our allies are committed to”. The attack killed five Hamas officials and one Qatari security officer. It was denounced by Qatar’s emir, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani, as “a cowardly and treacherous attack on Qatar’s sovereignty”. The Sheikh attended the funeral for the Hamas officials, which took place in the Gulf state. Qatar, which has hosted Hamas’s political bureau since 2012, has been facilitating indirect negotiations between the terror group and Israel since the October 7 massacre. When he was in the UK last week, Israeli President Herzog said Hamas negotiators in Qatar met Israeli offers for a ceasefire with “either a refusal or endless procrastination” and described the Hamas side of the talks as “endless slime”. Some of the families of the hostages being held in Gaza criticized the strike in Qatar, saying it appeared to have set back talks for a Gaza hostage-release and ceasefire deal. Also in the call on Monday afternoon, Starmer, along with other world leaders, discussed the “appalling situation” in Gaza and “made clear Israel must change course immediately by halting its ground offensive and letting in a surge of humanitarian aid without delay. “This is the only way to make progress towards a ceasefire and secure the release of the hostages,” the leaders said, according to Downing Street.
