Tensions rise as Lammy meets in secret with Israel’s Foreign Minister

Tensions rise as David Lammy meets in secret with Israel’s Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar on April 15th amid the ongoing Gaza conflict.

The meeting has been confirmed by the Middle East Eye and was conducted in secret as Sa’ar visits for the week, with the Foreign Office refusing to comment on the meeting.

During Sa’ar’s visit, it is believed that the two foreign secretaries discussed Iran’s nuclear programme, which has been a hot issue in international news, and the ongoing negotiations between Israel and Hamas.

The meeting has been condemned by MPs such as Ayoub Khan, who is an independent and pro-Palestine supporter who tabled a visa scheme to bring Palestinian families with UK ties to the country in February 2024.

Commenting on the meeting, Khan stated, “It is utterly disgraceful and profoundly disappointing,” saying, “His rhetoric and policies stand in direct contradiction to international humanitarian law and basic human decency.”

The meeting with the Israeli minister is controversial not just based on his ties to Israel but his views towards the war in Gaza.

Sa’ar himself claimed on the 4th of March that “Aid that goes to Hamas is not humanitarian,” alongside his stance opposing the two-state solution, which seems the most likely to be accepted internationally as we have seen Macron begin to move towards recognition of Palestine.

The meeting between the two ministers is being condemned for Sa’ar’s views, and the secretive nature of the discussions that suggest the UK Foreign Secretary must have recognised the sensitive subject at hand.

This further highlights the increasing pressure in the UK parliament and society towards a pro-Palestine view and growing pressure within the Labour Party to find a solution as they continue to support Israel.

We have seen Emily Thornberry in the party call out Netanyahu for clinging onto power, and Lammy even said that the blocking of aid to Palestine by Sa’ar’s own government “is a breach of international law.”

It seems increasingly clear, with Labour MPs calling out the Israeli government and an Israeli Foreign Minister secretly visiting the UK, that a change is occurring regarding Israel’s actions, along with growing pressure on Labour to navigate this tricky situation to maintain their support in the country.

Middle East Eye, JNS, Maghrebi.org