Justin Welby hails the ‘supreme courage’ of British-Israeli soldier murdered by Hamas
Speaking in the House of Lords the Archbishop of Canterbury asked if the British government might consider "giving official recognition" to the bravery of IDF hero Yosef Guedalia
Lee Harpin is the Jewish News's political editor
The Archbishop of Canterbury has asked if the British government might consider “giving official recognition” to a British-Israeli soldier killed in action after he fought “wave after wave” of Hamas terrorists during the October 7th massacre.
Speaking in the House of Lords, Justin Welby recalled how last weekend during a visit to Jerusalem he had spent time with families of those who had lost loved ones in the atrocities.
He told peers, during Tuesday’s debate on the situation in Israel and Gaza, of a family whose son had been killed “a soldier called Yosef, a British Israeli soldier”.
Welby continued:”I spoke with a family whose son had been killed on 7 October—a British-Israeli soldier called Yosef.
“He had been married—and I spoke with his wife at length—for one year and three days. He gave his life against overwhelming odds, as wave after wave of terrorists sought to kill people in one of the kibbutzes.
“I wonder whether the Government are considering— given that he was a British citizen—what official recognition of his supreme courage can be offered.”
Yosef Guedalia was killed by Hamas gunfire while defending the Kibbutz Kfar Aza, and was part of the elite counter-terror Duvdevan unit of the IDF.
Footage of the October 7th attack showed Guedalia carrying injured civilians to safety before he was shot by terrorists.
Welby also praised the stance shown by the UK government, and that of the Leader of the Opposition, in his speech.
Opening the Lords debate, Lord Ahmed of Wimbledon, minister for the foreign office, remarked:”When we see the innocent lives taken that day, we pray for those souls.
“I know that people of all faiths and none were shocked by the inhumanity of the brutal murder of so many innocent people in Israel. Therefore, we should, irrespective of faith, community, belief and religion, condemn unequivocally the terror attacks committed by Hamas against Israel and, indeed, many international citizens. Simply put, these attacks were driven by hatred.”
Lord Turnberg spoke of his “fear that there is a dangerous myth that the horrendous activities of Hamas on 7 October were the entirely understandable actions of an oppressed people crushed under the boot of Israel.”
He added:” It is the myth that seems to allow some in our media to excuse unspeakable acts of terror as merely those of militants.”
In his speech Lord Howard, the former Conservative leader, noted:”I also express my real sympathy with the families of the civilian population of Gaza who have lost their lives, for all human life is precious.
“But the two situations are not equivalent. There is no equivalence between the deliberate murder, beheading and kidnapping that took place on 7 October and what is happening in Gaza. ”
He added:” The IDF is not targeting civilians, but in war, which this has now become, civilian casualties are sadly inevitable. That is one of the dreadful consequences of all war. The terrible truth is that Hamas has displayed no interest in minimising those casualties.”
Liberal Democrats peer Lord Palmer of Childs Hill also expressed worries over the demonstrations that had taken place in this country by pro-Palestinian groups.
“Meanwhile, the actions of these evil men are celebrated and applauded at marches and meetings in the UK,” he said. “These are not marches for peace but marches applauding death squads. Shame on all those who took part.”
The Conservative peer Baroness Warsi was among those in the Lords to call for a ceasefire in the Middle East.
She said:” I want to speak of some of these peacemakers who call for the same: British Jews who stand outside the Israeli embassy protesting for peace; rabbis and other British Israelis who attend marches for Palestinian rights; British Jewish lawyers who call for restraint and adherence to international law; British Jewish and Israeli organisations, including ex-IDF soldiers calling for an immediate ceasefire; and the 30 Israeli human rights organisations which came together calling for an end to the bombardment.”
But Lord Harrington of Watford was in no doubt about the justification of Israel’s actions.
He said:”Most of those people are dead today, not at the hands of Israelis but at the hands of Hamas. This is not a war between Israel and Palestine or between Jew and Muslim. It is a war against Hamas, which represents terrorism and evil. This is good against evil. ”
In a forceful intervention, Lord Leigh raised objections after Lord Singh of Wimbledon claimed Israel was using white phosphorus in Gaza.
Asked by the Conservative peer to withdraw the allegation, Singh said:”Is Amnesty International deliberately telling untruths?”
The Labour peer Lord Mendelsohn also recalled how on October 7th he was “in Israel when the rockets started hitting and when the land incursion took place. ”
He added:”Every single day I get a reminder of the condition of rockets being fired into Israel and the murderous intent to kill as many people as possible, which has been stopped only by some advanced technology.”
In a powerful speech Lord Wolfson of Tredegar told Lords of how he had “two children in uniform.”
A son “who has now made his life in Israel, wore the uniform of the Israel Defense Forces.”
Meanwhile he noted how;”My other child in uniform was my daughter. Her uniform was trainers, jeans and a necklace with a Magen David—a Star of David—around her neck. ”
Lord Wolfson then asked:”How on earth have we got to a place where I am more concerned about a teenage girl in London with a Star of David around her neck than my son in an army uniform in a country at war? ”
Summing up at the end of the lengthy debate Lord Ahmed observed how “several noble Lords” had been among those calling for ceasefires.
But he said:”As I said earlier, ceasefires will also involve Hamas ceasing hostilities. It has demonstrably shown that it is not willing to do so. However, we are opening up those access points for humanitarian corridors, which is where our current focus is. I believe that most noble Lords will agree that it is right to do so.”
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