Hostage Families Denounce UK Prime Minister Starmer Over Palestinian Recognition: ‘Dramatically Complicated Efforts To Bring Home Our Loved Ones’

Nearly 9 in 10 Britons oppose Starmer’s recognition of a Palestinian state with no conditions, a move Hamas celebrated as ‘a victory’

The families of Israeli hostages taken and held by Hamas are denouncing U.K. prime minister Keir Starmer for recognizing a Palestinian state with no conditions. In a searing letter to Starmer, they warned that the move has emboldened Hamas and made it harder to secure the release of their loved ones.

“Your regrettable announcement … has dramatically complicated efforts to bring home our loved ones,” wrote the 16 hostage relatives, a group that includes the mothers of Evyatar David and Rom Braslavsky, two hostages who remain in Hamas captivity and were last seen “starved, tortured, and abused” in propaganda videos that the terrorist organization released last month.

“Hamas has already celebrated the UK’s decision as a victory and reneged on a ceasefire deal,” they continued. “As Prime Minister of the UK you have a valuable role to play in bringing the hostages home, including three remaining British-linked hostages, but your current path is the wrong one.”

Starmer first announced plans to recognize a Palestinian state in late July and solidified them on Sunday, when Britain, Canada, and Australia formally pledged their recognition. Though Starmer said the move “is not a reward for Hamas,” the terrorist organization disagrees.

In the wake of Starmer’s initial announcement, senior Hamas official Ghazi Hamad hailed plans from Starmer and other European leaders to recognize a Palestinian state as “the fruits of October 7,” which saw Hamas kill more than 1,200 Israelis, including children, kidnap 251 people, and rape women and girls. Another senior Hamas official, Mahmoud Mardawi, celebrated Starmer’s recognition on Sunday.

“These developments represent a victory for Palestinian rights and the justices of our cause,” he said, “and send a clear message: no matter how far the occupation goes in its crimes, it will never be able to erase our national rights.”

Starmer’s move is not just controversial among Israeli hostage families. Nearly 9 in 10 Britons oppose the recognition of a Palestinian state without conditions, a recent JL Partners survey found. Forty percent of the population, the poll found, believe that Hamas should agree to a ceasefire and release the remaining hostages as a pre-condition for statehood, while 51 percent oppose recognition so long as Hamas controls Gaza.

One of the hostage family letter’s signatories, Ilay David, the brother of Evyatar David, revealed that he has attempted to meet with Starmer but the U.K. prime minister “refuses.”

“The timing is wrong,” he told the Telegraph. “We have to say, ‘Until the hostages are home and Hamas de-weaponizes we can’t recognize anything. It is the wrong move right now.”

“We want to meet with Starmer but he refuses to meet with us. I want him to look into my mother’s eyes, into my brother’s eyes on that video, and promise that he will do whatever he can to make sure my brother survives.”