The chief rabbi has criticised Labour’s pledge to recognise a Palestinian state at a “national march for the hostages” in central London organised by a number of Jewish groups.
Family members of Israeli hostages taken on 7 October also joined the march on Downing Street to urge the release of those being held by the Palestinian militant group Hamas.
Some protesters held Israeli flags and wore yellow ribbons as they congregated in Lincoln’s Inn Fields in central London on Sunday afternoon. The UK’s most senior rabbi, Sir Ephraim Mirvis, addressed the march close to Downing Street.
Mirvis said: “To our government we turn and we say: ‘How would you ever be able to live with the fact that you would have recognised a Palestinian state, at the head of which is a terrorist organisation, with a stated intention of destroying the state of Israel and harming Jews right around the world and all this at a time when the hostages are still languishing in the tunnels of Gaza?’
“The Labour party, both in opposition and now in government, has had a mantra, they have continuously been saying ‘don’t judge us by our words, judge us by our deeds’.
“And to our government we say right now: this is the time for responsible action, it is not too late.”
He added: “We will continue to do whatever we can for the sake of each and every one of the hostages.”
Keir Starmer has pledged to recognise a Palestinian state in September unless the Israeli government meets a series of conditions towards ending the conflict in Gaza. The Jewish-led direct action group Stop the Hate said protesters were urging the prime minister to prioritise the release of 50 remaining Israeli hostages, 20 of them whom are thought to be alive, before any recognition of a Palestinian state.
They marched to Downing Street, where Noga Guttman, the cousin of kidnapped 24-year-old Evyatar David, gave a speech. Other speakers included Ayelet Svatitzky, whose brothers Roi and Nadav Popplewell were, respectively, murdered and died in captivity, and Adam Ma’anit.
Ma’anit, whose cousin Tsachi Idan saw his eldest daughter’s murder before he himself was later killed, said that he was at the protest as he did not want others to lose loved ones.
Ma’anit said: “I think that the government got it wrong with its foreign policy, that it’s time for it to correct and refocus on the hostages, and also to understand that by bringing the hostages, freeing the hostages, and helping to bring that about will also help us to unlock new pathways for solving the crisis in the Middle East.
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“It takes the wind out of the sails of war and puts us on a new direction.”
He added: “They threatened to recognise the state of Palestine if there was no ceasefire with Hamas. But that’s a reverse incentive because why would Hamas want to have a ceasefire if it can get, by default, recognition of the Palestinian state?”
The Metropolitan police confirmed a man had been arrested at the march.
The Met said the individual, who was not part of the march, was held for common assault and a racially aggravated public order offence after the march briefly paused just past Charing Cross. A scuffle broke out after at least two men shouted “Free Palestine” in front of the march.