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In a recent development, the British-Israeli woman, Emily Damari, who was previously held hostage by Hamas, has expressed her disagreement with Sir Keir Starmer’s announcement to recognize a Palestinian state. Damari, who was released in January after being held captive for over 15 months, believes that the UK prime minister’s decision “risks rewarding terror.” The pledge by Sir Keir stated that the UK would acknowledge a Palestinian state in September unless specific conditions were met by Israel, such as agreeing to a ceasefire and revitalizing the possibility of a two-state solution. This stance was not well-received by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who criticized it for endorsing “Hamas’ monstrous terrorism.”
Damari was shot and injured during her abduction from her home on Kibbutz Kfar Aza on October 7, 2023, where her dog was also killed by Hamas militants. Her close friends, Ziv and Gali Berman, who were with her during the incident, remain in captivity along with 50 other hostages. In a social media post, Damari questioned Sir Keir’s position, drawing a parallel to World War II by asking whether he would have supported recognizing Nazi control if he were in power at that time. She firmly believes that the move to recognize a Palestinian state under the current circumstances would only embolden extremists and undermine efforts for genuine peace, ultimately prolonging the conflict.
Following Damari’s statement, concerns were raised by lawyers representing British families with relatives held hostage by Hamas, who fear that the UK’s proposal could delay the hostages’ release. They emphasized that the approach of conditioning recognition of a Palestinian state on Israel agreeing to a ceasefire might incentivize Hamas to continue holding the hostages, thereby rewarding their unlawful acts. The families urged the prime minister to clarify that Hamas would not be rewarded and demanded that all hostages be freed before any substantive steps are taken.
Steve Brisley, whose British-Israeli sister and nieces were tragically murdered in the same incident where Damari was abducted, expressed his disappointment with Sir Keir’s decision. He stressed that no recognition of a Palestinian state should occur until all the hostages are safely released. Brisley highlighted the risk of incentivizing Hamas to prolong the hostages’ captivity until September, with no similar deadline set for the release of the hostages as expected from Israel. He called for clarity on the matter, emphasizing that the release of the hostages should be the primary objective to bring an end to the ordeal
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