Keir Starmer urges Israel to show 'courage of restraint' as Middle East on brink of war

Keir Starmer said the day of the October 7 attacks was a 'day of grief' and urged each sides to measurement backmost from the brink of all-out warfare successful the Middle East

Keir Starmer has called connected Israel to amusement "courage of restraint" arsenic helium warned the Middle East "cannot endure different year" of conflict.

Speaking to the Commons connected the day of the October 7 attacks, the Prime Minister said his thoughts were with Jewish radical successful the UK and astir the world. He said: "For truthful galore the symptom and fearfulness of that time is arsenic acute contiguous arsenic it was a twelvemonth ago. They unrecorded it each day."

Mr Starmer paid tribute to the dignity and courageousness of the families of hostages taken during Hamas's astonishment onslaught past year, erstwhile 1,200 radical were killed successful what is described arsenic the worst onslaught connected the Jewish assemblage since the Holocaust.

But helium said the day was besides a "day of grief" for the wider Middle East. He told MPs: "Over 41,000 Palestinians person been killed, tens of thousands orphaned, astir 2 cardinal displaced, facing disease, starvation, desperation, without due healthcare oregon shelter. It is simply a surviving nightmare and it indispensable end."

The PM urged leaders from each sides to measurement backmost from the brink, demanding contiguous ceasefires successful Gaza and Lebanon. He condemned Iran for playing a "malign role" successful the struggle done its enactment for Hamas successful Gaza and Hezbollah successful Lebanon.

In a sombre statement, Mr Starmer told MPs: "The portion cannot endure different twelvemonth of this. Civilians connected each sides person suffered excessively much. All sides indispensable present measurement backmost from the brink and find the courageousness of restraint."

But the PM rebuffed calls from MPs for an arms embargo connected Israel, pursuing a request from French President Emmanuel Macron for an extremity to arms deliveries for usage successful Gaza. Responding to a question from MP Zarah Sultana, helium said: "Banning each income would mean nary for antiaircraft purposes. On the day of October 7 and days aft a immense onslaught by Iran into Israel, (it) would beryllium the incorrect presumption for this Government. I volition not instrumentality it.

Earlier, Foreign Secretary David Lammy visited a northbound London synagogue wherever helium paid tribute to the Jewish community.

"This is simply a achy time for the Jewish assemblage crossed this state and crossed the diaspora," helium said. "It is simply a time of heavy reflection and symptom reasoning astir October 7, the worst onslaught connected the Jewish assemblage since the Holocaust.

"And of course, reasoning astir the galore hostages that are inactive held successful Gaza and their loved ones and their pain. And peculiarly we deliberation of Emily Damari, the British hostage, and her household person nary connection of her destiny oregon however she is doing."