Sadiq Khan responds to backlash over Gaza comments
EXCLUSIVE: Sadiq Khan says he's ‘deeply saddened by the loss of all lives’ after quoting Hamas figures and calling the war a ‘betrayal of humanity’
The mayor of London has responded to criticism of the tone of his recent Eid message, in which he quoted Hamas figures and appeared to accuse Israel of “betraying humanity”.
Sadiq Khan sparked concerns with a two-minute video posted on social media four days ago to mark the end of Ramadan, in which he said the usual joy of Eid would be “tempered” by the “appalling suffering and killing that continues in Sudan and Palestine”.
He went on: “More than 50,000 Palestinians have been killed in Gaza as a result of Israel’s ongoing military campaign, including more than 15,000 children.” He then added that events in both Sudan and Gaza were “betrayals of humanity”.
His comments provoked upset from Jewish groups and commentators, including the Jewish Leadership Council, who said: “The mayor represents a city of great diversity. We are proud to live in a country where our political leaders wish communities well during religious celebrations of all faiths. However, the cohesion of our diverse communities is undermined by the importation of foreign conflicts into our city. We were therefore disappointed to see the mayor use his Eid message not to promote unity and fellowship between Londoners, but to speak in emotive terms about an international conflict which has resulted in an unprecedented rise in antisemitism across the United Kingdom.”
In response, a spokesperson for the Mayor’s office told Jewish News: “The mayor has repeatedly conveyed his outrage at attacks by Hamas on Israel and has strongly condemned these acts of terrorism.. He is deeply saddened by the loss of all lives and continues to support calls for a permanent ceasefire.”
The mayor’s office did not clarify his comment describing Israel’s war with Hamas in Gaza as “betraying humanity”.
A spokesperson at the embassy of Israel to the UK said the office was “deeply dismayed by the message from Sadiq Khan,” adding: “We would like to emphasise to Mr Khan that the war is a result of the brutal and horrific attack by Hamas, a proscribed terror organisation in the UK. It is alarming that throughout the message, there is no mention of Hamas or any condemnation of terrorism and a call for the release of 59 hostages that are being held in horrific and inhumane conditions.”
The statement continues: “Ultimately, Hamas terrorists murdered people of all faiths and none with impunity on 7 October. Indeed, in recent days, Hamas has tortured and murdered many Gazans protesting against the terror group, including Uday al-Rabbay. The values Mr Khan speaks of must not be applied selectively.
“Furthermore, the death toll Mr Khan reports is taken from Hamas propaganda and thus not based on facts, nor do they differentiate between combatants and non-combatants. Even this week, Hamas again tampered with the death toll that they reported. Amid the alarming increase in antisemitic incidents across the UK, it is crucial that we all act with the utmost responsibility.”
In an article titled ‘Sadiq Khan’s Eid message is a disgrace‘ for The Spectator, Jonathan Sacerdoti wrote: “Cloaked in the warm language of unity and peace, the mayor of London delivered a politicised monologue that whitewashes terrorism, stokes division and fundamentally misrepresents the moral landscape of the Israel–Palestinian conflict.”
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