Rishi Sunak has urged Saudi Arabia to use its influence to support stability in the Middle East after flying there following talks in Israel with Benjamin Netanyahu, who told him his country was counting on the UK’s “continuous support” in what will be a long war with Hamas.
Britain wanted Israel “to win”, the prime minister told his Israeli counterpart during a joint press conference in Jerusalem following talks that were part of diplomatic efforts to secure the release of hostages held by Hamas in Gaza and prevent a wider regional conflict.
“I’m proud to stand here with you in Israel’s darkest hour, as your friend,” said Sunak, who also welcomed a deal to allow 20 lorries with aid to cross into the Gaza Strip from Egypt. The British government is involved in an international push to make sure that the trucks can enter Gaza as early as Friday.
Sunak added: “We will stand with you in solidarity, we will stand with your people. And we also want you to win.”
Standing beside Sunak, Netanyahu recalled Britain’s part in the second world war, telling his UK counterpart: “Eighty years ago, prime minister, the civilised world stood with you in your darkest hour.
“This is our darkest hour. It is the world’s darkest hour. We need to stand together and we will win. And this is why I support, I value your support and the fact that you are here – we must win together.
“That means that this is a long war and we’ll need your continuous support. There will be ups and downs, there will be difficulties.”
In a reference to the explosion at al-Ahli Arab hospital in Gaza City, where hundreds of people are believed to have been killed, Sunak said the scenes had “shocked all of us, particularly at the hospital, and we mourn the loss of every innocent life – civilians of every faith, every nationality who have been killed”.
“And we also recognise that the Palestinian people are victims of Hamas too,” he continued. “And that is why I welcome your decision yesterday that you took to ensure that routes into Gaza will be opened for humanitarian aid to enter. I’m glad that you made that decision. We will support it, we are increasing our aid to the region and we will look to get more support to people as quickly as we can.”
Sunak also told Netanyahu that he recognised that Israel was “taking every precaution to avoid harming civilians”, and he said the two states would continue to cooperate in efforts to secure the release of hostages, particularly with regard to British nationals.
Those efforts were expected to form part of discussions Sunak held with Mohammed bin Salman, the crown prince of Saudi Arabia, as part of a trip that could also involve another stopover before the prime minister returns to the UK on Friday.
A “readout” of talks between the two men released by Downing Street said that they had agreed that the “loss of innocent lives in Israel and Gaza over the last two weeks has been horrific” and “underscored the need to avoid any further escalation in the region”.
Sunak said he had “an important and productive meeting” with Prince Mohammed. “We agreed on coordinated action to prevent further escalation in the region, provide vital humanitarian aid in Gaza and support stability, both now and in the long-term,” the prime minister said.
Sunak “encouraged the crown prince to use Saudi’s leadership in the region to support stability, both now and in the long-term”, No 10 said.
A parallel round of trips was being undertaken by the foreign secretary, James Cleverly, as part of meetings to help prevent the spread of conflict across the region, said the UK government. Cleverly is in Egypt on Thursday and will fly to Qatar on Thursday night, with a visit to Turkey also scheduled.
Cleverly was criticised by Scotland’s first minister, Humza Yousaf, for failing to include helping UK nationals escape the fighting in Gaza as one of his stated priorities.
In a post on X, formerly Twitter, Cleverly said his goals were to “secure the release of British hostages. Stop the violence spreading to the region. Ensure emergency aid can get into Gaza”.
Yousaf, whose in-laws are trapped in Gaza after visiting from Scotland, urged Cleverly to demand a ceasefire and the opening of the Rafah crossing in the south of the Gaza Strip. “Shameful that UK citizens trapped in Gaza don’t even get a mention,” he said.
