Iran: A State Sponsor of Terror

In a speech to guests at the Labour Friends of Israel (LFI) annual lunch on Monday 2nd December, UK Prime Minister Kier Starmer said that we should make no mistake – “Iran is a state sponsor of terror” – adding:

“Whether that’s through their funding, training and support for Hamas
– making the 7th October attack possible – or the Houthis who have attacked Israel
and caused chaos to international shipping, or for Hezbollah in Lebanon.”

Kier Starmer at the Labour Friends of Israel Annual lunch (photo: LFI)

According to a newsletter from the Britain Israel Communications and Research Centre (BICOM), he went on to vow not to turn a “blind eye as Iran seeks to destabilise the Middle East. We have imposed tough sanctions on the IRGC and we unreservedly condemn Iran’s attacks.”

And he further described the Islamic Republic as:

“A country which is repressing its own citizens, coordinating proxy armies and terrorist groups,
intimidating the region with the veiled menace of its nuclear programme,
and even seeking to incite violence and extremism here in the UK.”

Those clear statements seem encouraging for people who recognise the existential threat faced by Israel and the Jewish people, but UK foreign policy is not so clear.

That was highlighted when the mother of Emily Damari, one of the hostages in the Gaza Strip, spoke at the same lunch and said she was shocked by the decision of the British government to vote in the United Nations for an unconditional ceasefire. Mandy Damari said:

“Last month, the government voted for an unconditional ceasefire in the UN
that would leave Emily and the other hostages in the hands of Hamas,
giving them no incentive to release them.

“That vote shocked me and it broke my heart.
Nobody is more supportive of peace than I am, nobody.
But there will be no peace until Emily and all the hostages are brought home.
Those who are alive should be returned to their family.”

That clarity of thought about the conflict between Israel and its terrorist enemies needs to be grasped by all Western governments. To call for a ceasefire without the release of the hostages would simply reward terrorism and hostage taking.