From the Liveblog of
Sunday, October 6, 2024
Starmer blasts ‘vile hatred’ against UK’s Jewish, Muslim communities since Oct. 7
LONDON — UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer calls for a ceasefire in Gaza and restraint by all parties, saying the yearlong Israel-Hamas war has affected community relations in Britain.
“The sparks light touchpapers in our own communities here at home,” Starmer writes in the Sunday Times ahead of the anniversary of the Hamas terror group’s October 7 massacre in Israel which sparked the war.
“Israel and the Middle East are not just inseparable from our nation’s history. They have a deep relationship with our multicultural society,” Starmer says, pointing out that “millions have family ties to the region.”
While Starmer says the UK will “stand with Israel in the face of Iranian aggression,” he also cautions that “a better future will not be won by traumatizing, orphaning and displacing another generation.”
“The anniversary of the October 7 attacks should remind us of the cost of political failure,” he adds. “No security will be found in greater destabilization.”
Denouncing the rise of “vile hatred” against Jewish and Muslim communities in the UK over the past year, Starmer says: “Our differences and diversity should bind us together more strongly, not drive us apart.”
UK faith leaders also say the anniversary should be an occasion for the public to reject “prejudice and hatred in all its forms.”
Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby, Chief Rabbi Ephraim Mirvis, and the chairman of the Mosques and Imams National Advisory Board Imam Qari Asim write an open letter to say they “stand united in our grief.”
“In these challenging times, we must also reject those who seek to divide us,” the joint letter reads.
“Anti-Jewish hate and anti-Muslim hate have no place in the UK today.”
Times of Israel staff contributed to this report.
