Palestine move is 'akin to rewarding Nazis after WWII'

A BRITISH hostage who was held captive by Hamas accused Sir Keir Starmer yesterday of being on the “wrong side of history” with his plans to recognise a Palestinian state.

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Furious Emily Damari, who was snatched from a kibbutz house by the Gaza terror group on October 7, 2023, and held prisoner for 15 months, compared the PM’s decision with “rewarding the Nazis” after the Second World War.

The British-Israeli citizen, 29, said: “Had he been in power during World War Two, would he have advocated recognition for Nazi control of occupied countries like Holland, France or Poland?

“This is not diplomacy — it is a moral failure. Shame on you, Prime Minister.

“As a dual British-Israeli citizen who survived 471 days in Hamas captivity, I am deeply saddened by Prime Minister Starmer’s decision to recognise Palestinian statehood.

“This move does not advance peace, it risks rewarding terror. It sends a dangerous message that violence earns legitimacy.”

Ms Damari added: “By legitimising a state entity while Hamas still controls Gaza and continues its campaign of terror, the Prime Minister is not promoting a solution, he is prolonging the conflict.

“Recognition under these conditions emboldens extremists and undermines any hope for genuine peace. Shame on you!!!”

Sir Keir announced on Tuesday that the Government would recognise an independent Palestinian state in September, unless Israel ended the “appalling situation” in Gaza and committed to a long-term peace process that would deliver a state with Palestinian cooperation.

In an emergency Cabinet meeting, the PM described the scenes of starvation in Gaza as “increasingly intolerable”. Yesterday, Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander said the decision had been made in an attempt to avert any attempts by Israel to annex the West Bank.

Saying “this isn’t about Hamas, this is about the Palestinian people”, she insisted the decision’s timing was to provide “maximum impact”.