A post on X claims U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer warned his country will cut diplomatic ties with Israel due to its ongoing war with Hamas.
⚠️BREAKING NEWS⚠️
UK PM keir Starmer says that UK will boycott all diplomatic relations with Israel due to its long lasting war in Gaza. pic.twitter.com/yoS5mkwN51
— World Affairs (@naziakhan455) October 6, 2024
Verdict: False
Starmer did not threaten to abandon diplomatic ties with Israel.
Fact Check:
Iran launched its most intense missile strike against Israel Oct. 1, according to CNN. The 200-projectile attack was largely intercepted by defense systems from Israel and its allies and sparked Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to warn that Iran “will pay” for the attack, the outlet reported.
That same evening, Starmer appeared in a live streamed address responding to the attack. The post on X includes a screenshot of Starmer behind a podium, with two British flags behind him. The post claims that the “UK will boycott all diplomatic relations with Israel due to its long lasting war in Gaza.”
However, Starmer shared the opposite message in his address. He said that his country “stands with Israel” amid its ongoing war with the Palestinian terror group Hamas. The prime minister added that the UK backs Israel’s “reasonable demand for the security of its people,” per coverage from the British outlet Sky News.
Starmer expressed support for Israel even as he described himself as “deeply concerned that the region is on the brink” and about the “risk of miscalculation” that could lead to a wider conflict. He also indicated that he is in contact with Netanyahu and other world leaders to work towards a peaceful resolution of the war that has raged in the Middle East for the past year.
UK Defense Secretary John Healey said after last week’s missile launch that the country was actively supporting Israel during the strike. According to information he provided to BBC News, British troops “played their part” in working to “prevent further escalation.” The country reportedly had jets ready for counter attacks targeting Iran but “didn’t need to” deploy them.
On Oct. 7, which marked one year since Hamas launched its surprise attack on Israeli towns, triggering the start of the war, Starmer released a separate statement with a similar theme. (RELATED: FACT CHECK: Video Shows July Israeli Attack On Oil Storage Facility In Yemen, Not On Port In September)
The prime minister emphasized that “we must unequivocally stand with the Jewish community,” per The Independent. He recalled the massacre of Oct. 7, 2023, as “the darkest day in Jewish history since the Holocaust” and said that the “collective grief” resulting from the tragedy “has not diminished.”