Rishi Sunak ‘doesn’t agree’ with Israeli ambassador rejecting two-state solution

Published

2 years ago

December 14, 2023

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Rishi Sunak has publicly disagreed with an Israeli ambassador, who told Sky News the country rejected the idea of a two-state solution.

It is the long-standing position of the UK government that there should be an independent Palestinian state established alongside the existing one of Israel – giving both peoples their own territory.

But asked about the prospect after the war in the region ends, Tzipi Hotovely – who represents Israel in the UK – said “absolutely no”, claiming Palestinians “want to have a state from the river to the sea”.

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Asked about her comments this morning, Mr Sunak said: “We don’t agree with that.”

The prime minister added that “consistently far too many innocent people have lost their lives”, and that he had told Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu his country “must take every available precaution to protect innocent civilian lives”.

A two-state solution has long been the desired outcome, not just of the UK, but of the US and the United Nations.

It has previously been endorsed by Israel, but only if Palestinian military groups put down their arms – while Palestinians have said they would agree if they could police themselves.

But as the conflict rolls on following the terrorist attacks in Israel on 7 October, two Israeli politicians have now rejected the end goal.

“Israel knows today, and the world should know now that the Palestinians never wanted to have a state next to Israel,” Ms Hotovely told Sky News’ Mark Austin.

“They want to have a state from the river to the sea. They are saying it loud and clear. It’s now two months after the war started. The Palestinian Authority didn’t condemn this massacre (7 October). It’s such a big problem.”

Giving his reaction to the remarks, Mr Sunak said the UK government did not “agree”, adding: “Our long-standing position remains that a two-state solution is the right outcome.”

He went on to discuss the ongoing military action by Israel in Gaza, calling what was going on “incredibly concerning”.

The prime minister added: “I’ve said consistently far too many innocent people have lost their lives. No one wants this conflict to go on for a moment longer than is necessary.

“Of course, Israel has a right to defend itself from an appalling terrorist attack that it suffered. But as I said to Prime Minister Netanyahu just last week, Israel must take every available precaution to protect innocent civilian lives.”

Mr Sunak said the UK was “doing a lot” to get more aid into Gaza, and the government was “continuing to press for more access to get more support to the people who need it”.

He also said his government would continue to support calls for a “sustainable ceasefire” when hostages are released and more aid can get in, and when Hamas also stops firing rockets into Israel.

Politics

Why Boris’s best mate is off to Reform

Published

4 hours ago

July 10, 2025

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👉Listen to Politics at Sam and Anne’s on your podcast app👈       

Former Conservative chairman and friend of Boris Johnson – Sir Jake Berry – is defecting to Reform UK, causing more problems for Tory leader Kemi Badenoch.

On today’s episode, Sky News’ Sam Coates and Politico’s Anne McElvoy discuss if his defection will divide parts of Reform policy.

Elsewhere, the Anglo-French summit gets under way, with Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer hoping to announce a migration deal with French President Emmanuel Macron to deter small boat crossings.

Plus, chatter around Whitehall that No10 are considering a pre-summer reshuffle, but will it have any value?

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Australia to test CBDCs, stablecoins in next stage of crypto play

Published

7 hours ago

July 10, 2025

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Australia to test CBDCs, stablecoins in next stage of crypto play

The trial is part of Project Acacia, an initiative from the RBA exploring how digital money and tokenization could support financial markets in Australia.

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Starmer and Macron agree need for ‘new deterrent’ to stop small boat crossings

Published

13 hours ago

July 10, 2025

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Starmer and Macron agree need for 'new deterrent' to stop small boat crossings

Sir Keir Starmer and Emmanuel Macron have agreed the need for a “new deterrent” to deter small boats crossings in the Channel, Downing Street has said.

The prime minister met Mr Macron this afternoon as part of the French president’s state visit to the UK, which began on Tuesday.

High up the agenda for the two leaders is the need to tackle small boat crossings in the Channel, which Mr Macron said yesterday was a “burden” for both the UK and France.

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The small boats crisis is a pressing issue for the prime minister, given that more than 20,000 migrants crossed the English Channel to the UK in the first six months of this year – a rise of almost 50% on the number crossing in 2024.

Sir Keir is hoping he can reach a deal for a one-in one-out return treaty with France, ahead of the UK-France summit on Thursday, which will involve ministerial teams from both nations.

The deal would see those crossing the Channel illegally sent back to France in exchange for Britain taking in any asylum seeker with a family connection in the UK.

However, it is understood the deal is still in the balance, with some EU countries unhappy about France and the UK agreeing on a bilateral deal.

French newspaper Le Monde reports that up to 50 small boat migrants could be sent back to France each week, starting from August, as part of an agreement between Sir Keir and Mr Macron.

A statement from Downing Street said: “The prime minister met the French President Emmanuel Macron in Downing Street this afternoon.

“They reflected on the state visit of the president so far, agreeing that it had been an important representation of the deep ties between our two countries.

“Moving on to discuss joint working, they shared their desire to deepen our partnership further – from joint leadership in support of Ukraine to strengthening our defence collaboration and increasing bilateral trade and investment.”

It added: “The leaders agreed tackling the threat of irregular migration and small boat crossings is a shared priority that requires shared solutions.

“The prime minister spoke of his government’s toughening of the system in the past year to ensure rules are respected and enforced, including a massive surge in illegal working arrests to end the false promise of jobs that are used to sell spaces on boats.

“The two leaders agreed on the need to go further and make progress on new and innovative solutions, including a new deterrent to break the business model of these gangs.”

Chris Philp, the shadow home secretary, seized on the statement to criticise Labour for scrapping the Conservatives’ Rwanda plan, which the Tories claim would have sent asylum seekers “entering the UK illegally” to Rwanda.

He said in an online post: “We had a deterrent ready to go, where every single illegal immigrant arriving over the Channel would be sent to Rwanda.

“But Starmer cancelled this before it had a chance to start.

“Now, a year later, he’s realised he made a massive mistake. That’s why numbers have surged and this year so far has been the worst in history for illegal channel crossings.

“Starmer is weak and incompetent and he’s lost control of our borders.”