Netanyahu criticizes Starmer for supporting Hamas

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said Sir Keir Starmer and other leaders have “effectively said they want Hamas to remain in power”.

He also accused British, French and Canadian leaders of siding with “mass murderers, rapists, baby killers and kidnappers”.

In a video posted on X addressing Thursday’s attack on Israeli embassy staff in Washington DC, Netanyahu said Sir Keir, Emmanuel Macron and Mark Carney wanted Israel to “stand down and accept that Hamas’s army of mass murderers will survive”.

Downing Street has declined to comment directly on Netanyahu’s remarks, but pointed to Sir Keir’s previous condemnation of the Washington attack on X.

In that post, Sir Keir called antisemitism an “evil we must stamp out”.

On Monday, the UK, France and Canada condemned the expanded Israeli military operation and denial of humanitarian aid to civilians in Gaza, and threatened concrete actions if they did not stop.

Netanyahu said Hamas want to destroy Israel and annihilate the Jewish people.

“I could never understand how this simple truth evades the leaders of France, Britain, Canada and others.”

“I say to President Macron, Prime Minister Carney and Prime Minister Starmer, when mass murderers, rapists, baby killers and kidnappers thank you, you’re on the wrong side of justice.”

“You’re on the wrong side of humanity, and you’re on the wrong side of history,” he added.

An Israeli minister, Amichai Chikli, said Sir Keir and other leaders had been “emboldening the forces of terror”.

Earlier, the UK prime minister said he was “horrified” by Israel’s actions and called the situation in Gaza “intolerable”, adding that Israel’s decision to allow only a small amount of aid into Gaza was “utterly inadequate”.