On Sunday evening, Israeli Minister of Foreign Affairs Gideon Sa’ar met with British Foreign Secretary David Lammy in Yerushalayim, who is in Israel for an official visit. Minister Sa’ar underscored that the Israeli government “is interested in a deal to release the hostages and is working to achieve it. The only question is whether Hamas will be ready to make a deal, and we will know that soon.”
The two leaders also addressed several regional concerns, including the situations in Iran, Syria, and Lebanon. Minister Sa’ar particularly stressed the importance of preventing Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons.
At the conclusion of their meeting, Foreign Secretary Lammy extended an invitation for Minister Sa’ar to visit the United Kingdom officially in the near future.
The previous British government, led by Rishi Sunak, had expressed strong support for Israel’s military operations against Hamas in Gaza. Upon taking office, Lammy declared that the new government would adopt a “balanced position” on the Middle East conflict and use diplomatic channels to push for a ceasefire and the release of hostages held by Hamas.
Lammy later announced a partial suspension of arms exports to Israel, clarifying, “Facing a conflict such as this, it is this government’s legal duty to review Britain’s export licenses. This is not a blanket ban, this is not an arms embargo.”
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer later backed the decision to partially suspend arms exports to Israel, calling it “a legal decision.” He explained that the review was based on an assessment of Israel’s conduct in its war against Hamas in Gaza. “We will of course stand by Israel’s right to self-defense but it’s important that we are committed to the international rule of law,” Starmer added.
{Matzav.com Israel}