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'Moral failure' Freed hostage criticises PM over plan for recognition
The Guardian
|July 31, 2025
A British-Israeli woman who was held hostage by Hamas for more than 15 months has accused Keir Starmer of "moral failure" after he set the UK on course to recognise a Palestinian state.
Emily Damari, 29, who was released in January, claimed the prime minister was "not standing on the right side of history" and should be ashamed.
Starmer said on Tuesday that the UK would recognise a Palestinian state in September unless the Israeli government abided by a ceasefire and committed to a two-state solution to the conflict.
The UK government also said Hamas must release all hostages immediately, disarm, sign up to a ceasefire and accept it would play no role in the government of Gaza.
This story is from the July 31, 2025 edition of The Guardian.
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