UK opposition Labour Party leader Keir Starmer. Bloomberg
UK opposition Labour Party leader Keir Starmer. Bloomberg
UK opposition Labour Party leader Keir Starmer. Bloomberg
UK opposition Labour Party leader Keir Starmer. Bloomberg

Keir Starmer suggests it is acceptable for Israel to withhold power and water from Gaza


Tariq Tahir
  • English
  • Arabic

Live updates: Follow the latest news on Israel-Palestine

The leader of the UK’s Labour Party, Keir Starmer, has suggested it is acceptable to withhold power from the citizens of Gaza.

Mr Starmer was quick to condemn Hamas following its attack on Israel, which he described as the “cold-blooded” slaughter of hundreds of civilians.

The Israeli government has stopped the passage of food, water, fuel and medicine into Gaza, with sole remaining access to supplies from Egypt shuttering on Tuesday after air strikes near the border crossing.

In an interview with LBC radio, Mr Starmer said Israel must have the right to self-defence and that Hamas “bears responsibility”.

He was then asked by host Nick Ferrari: “A siege is appropriate? Cutting off water? Cutting off power? Sir Keir?”

Mr Starmer replied: “I think that Israel does have that right. It is an ongoing situation. Obviously everything should be done within international law but I don’t want to step away from the core principles that Israel has a right to defend herself and Hamas bears responsibility for the terrorist acts.”

The Labour leader's wife Victoria is Jewish, and he said they have family in Israel who are being affected by the events.

“We have extended family in Israel and this will be typical of many people in Israel, families, communities, they have a deep sense of shock at what is happening,” he said.

“Fear overladen with a real anxiety that somehow they felt that with the Israeli intelligence and security – they always know they are under threat – but they felt there was a protection there and there’s huge anxiety that on this occasion that didn’t seem to operate in the way that they wanted.”

Mr Starmer's comments angered some members within the party, including the Labour Muslim Network, which demanded that he retract his comments and urgently meet representatives of Muslim groups in Britain.

"Collective punishment is a war crime," a statement from the organisation said.

"Cutting off power and water to hospitals and life-serving facilities is a war crime. No government, no army and no country can ever be above international law."

Foreign Secretary James Cleverly has travelled to Israel to show the UK’s “unwavering solidarity” in the wake of the Hamas attacks.

The Foreign Office said he was there to “demonstrate the UK’s unwavering solidarity with the Israeli people following Hamas’s terrorist attacks”.

“He will be meeting survivors of the attacks and senior Israeli leaders to outline UK support for Israel’s right to defend itself,” the Foreign Office said.

The Israeli government shared a video on X, formerly Twitter, showing Mr Cleverly running for cover as sirens sounded amid a rocket attack.

Labour’s shadow foreign secretary David Lammy has called on the government to help repatriate UK citizens in Israel who want to return home.

“While Israeli airspace has not officially been closed, most UK airlines have been forced to cancel their flights for the foreseeable future,” he said in a letter to Mr Cleverly.

“This is obviously deeply concerning for all those who are desperate to return to loved ones in the UK.

“Several countries have announced rescue flights to return their nationals who are stranded. Does the UK government have plans to do the same?”

British Airways suspended all flights to Israel on Thursday after turning back one of its flights as it neared Tel Aviv “over security concerns”.

Commenting on Mr Starmer saying that Israel has the right to besiege Gaza, Karla McLaren, Amnesty International UK’s head of government and political relations, said: “Cutting off civilians in Gaza from all water, food, electricity and fuel would be collective punishment, which is a war crime. All UK politicians should be making this clear.

“An intensified blockade on Gaza will cause unimaginable suffering to Palestinians living there, who cannot be blamed for Hamas’s crimes and have already endured a 16-year-long illegal blockade, which is one part of Israel’s system of apartheid against Palestinians.

“We continue to call on all parties to this conflict to respect international humanitarian law, and we need to see all those who’ve committed war crimes and other human rights violations being held to account.”

Meanwhile a Buckingham Palace representative said that King Charles III is “extremely concerned” about the situation.

“His thoughts and prayers are with all of those suffering, particularly those who have lost loved ones, but also those actively involved as we speak.

“His Majesty is appalled by and condemns the barbaric acts of terrorism in Israel.”

Aquaman%20and%20the%20Lost%20Kingdom
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EDirector%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20James%20Wan%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EStarring%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Jason%20Mamoa%2C%20Patrick%20Wilson%2C%20Amber%20Heard%2C%20Yahya%20Abdul-Mateen%20II%C2%A0%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ERating%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%202%2F5%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
The Details

Kabir Singh

Produced by: Cinestaan Studios, T-Series

Directed by: Sandeep Reddy Vanga

Starring: Shahid Kapoor, Kiara Advani, Suresh Oberoi, Soham Majumdar, Arjun Pahwa

Rating: 2.5/5 

FOOTBALL TEST

Team X 1 Team Y 0

Scorers

Red card

Man of the Match

 

Islamophobia definition

A widely accepted definition was made by the All Party Parliamentary Group on British Muslims in 2019: “Islamophobia is rooted in racism and is a type of racism that targets expressions of Muslimness or perceived Muslimness.” It further defines it as “inciting hatred or violence against Muslims”.

UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Benefits of first-time home buyers' scheme
  • Priority access to new homes from participating developers
  • Discounts on sales price of off-plan units
  • Flexible payment plans from developers
  • Mortgages with better interest rates, faster approval times and reduced fees
  • DLD registration fee can be paid through banks or credit cards at zero interest rates
Company profile

Date started: 2015

Founder: John Tsioris and Ioanna Angelidaki

Based: Dubai

Sector: Online grocery delivery

Staff: 200

Funding: Undisclosed, but investors include the Jabbar Internet Group and Venture Friends

MOUNTAINHEAD REVIEW

Starring: Ramy Youssef, Steve Carell, Jason Schwartzman

Director: Jesse Armstrong

Rating: 3.5/5

The specs

Price, base / as tested Dh960,000
Engine 3.9L twin-turbo V8 
Transmission Seven-speed dual-clutch automatic
Power 661hp @8,000rpm
Torque 760Nm @ 3,000rpm
Fuel economy, combined 11.4L / 100k

NO OTHER LAND

Director: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham, Rachel Szor, Hamdan Ballal

Stars: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham

Rating: 3.5/5

Skoda Superb Specs

Engine: 2-litre TSI petrol

Power: 190hp

Torque: 320Nm

Price: From Dh147,000

Available: Now

Red flags
  • Promises of high, fixed or 'guaranteed' returns.
  • Unregulated structured products or complex investments often used to bypass traditional safeguards.
  • Lack of clear information, vague language, no access to audited financials.
  • Overseas companies targeting investors in other jurisdictions - this can make legal recovery difficult.
  • Hard-selling tactics - creating urgency, offering 'exclusive' deals.

Courtesy: Carol Glynn, founder of Conscious Finance Coaching

2025 Fifa Club World Cup groups

Group A: Palmeiras, Porto, Al Ahly, Inter Miami.

Group B: Paris Saint-Germain, Atletico Madrid, Botafogo, Seattle.

Group C: Bayern Munich, Auckland City, Boca Juniors, Benfica.

Group D: Flamengo, ES Tunis, Chelsea, (Leon banned).

Group E: River Plate, Urawa, Monterrey, Inter Milan.

Group F: Fluminense, Borussia Dortmund, Ulsan, Mamelodi Sundowns.

Group G: Manchester City, Wydad, Al Ain, Juventus.

Group H: Real Madrid, Al Hilal, Pachuca, Salzburg.

Who was Alfred Nobel?

The Nobel Prize was created by wealthy Swedish chemist and entrepreneur Alfred Nobel.

  • In his will he dictated that the bulk of his estate should be used to fund "prizes to those who, during the preceding year, have conferred the greatest benefit to humankind".
  • Nobel is best known as the inventor of dynamite, but also wrote poetry and drama and could speak Russian, French, English and German by the age of 17. The five original prize categories reflect the interests closest to his heart.
  • Nobel died in 1896 but it took until 1901, following a legal battle over his will, before the first prizes were awarded.

Engine: 3.5-litre V6

Transmission: eight-speed automatic

Power: 290hp

Torque: 340Nm

Price: Dh155,800

On sale: now

Director: Laxman Utekar

Cast: Vicky Kaushal, Akshaye Khanna, Diana Penty, Vineet Kumar Singh, Rashmika Mandanna

Rating: 1/5

FA%20Cup%20semi-final%20draw
%3Cp%3ECoventry%20City%20v%20Manchester%20United%C2%A0%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3EManchester%20City%20v%20Chelsea%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E-%20Games%20to%20be%20played%20at%20Wembley%20Stadium%20on%20weekend%20of%20April%2020%2F21.%C2%A0%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Company Fact Box

Company name/date started: Abwaab Technologies / September 2019

Founders: Hamdi Tabbaa, co-founder and CEO. Hussein Alsarabi, co-founder and CTO

Based: Amman, Jordan

Sector: Education Technology

Size (employees/revenue): Total team size: 65. Full-time employees: 25. Revenue undisclosed

Stage: early-stage startup 

Investors: Adam Tech Ventures, Endure Capital, Equitrust, the World Bank-backed Innovative Startups SMEs Fund, a London investment fund, a number of former and current executives from Uber and Netflix, among others.

The years Ramadan fell in May

1987

1954

1921

1888

Updated: October 11, 2023, 6:26 PM