Israeli president offers ‘fact-finding mission’ after ‘tough’ talks at No 10

Israel’s president Isaac Herzog proposed sending a “fact-finding mission” to Gaza during “tough” talks with Sir Keir Starmer in Downing Street on Wednesday.

The meeting at Number 10 saw Mr Herzog “argue” with the Prime Minister over UK plans to recognise a Palestinian state and concern over the humanitarian situation in Gaza.

Speaking to an event hosted by the Chatham House think tank, Mr Herzog said he had offered “a fact-finding mission coming to Israel, sitting with us and studying the situation in Gaza on the humanitarian level”.

“Because we have full answers and we are fully transparent,” he said.

Adding that the pair had “argued out of respect”, he noted there were “things we agreed upon”, such as the threat from Iran and the need to end Hamas’s control of Gaza.

But he said he dismissed “out of hand” comments by Wes Streeting on Monday in which the Health Secretary had said Mr Herzog needed to answer allegations of war crimes and ethnic cleansing.

The meeting came after Israel carried out airstrikes against senior Hamas leaders who had travelled to Qatar for ceasefire talks.

Following the meeting, a Downing Street spokesperson said Sir Keir had “condemned” the bombing as “a flagrant violation of a key partner’s sovereignty” that “do nothing to secure the peace we all desperately want to see”.

Sir Keir also “implored Israel to change course”, including by letting more aid into Gaza and halting offensive operations, while stressing that the hostages taken by Hamas “must be released”.

At the Chatham House event, Mr Herzog said he had had “a very frank and open discussion” with Sir Keir, adding: “It was a meeting between allies, but it was a tough meeting.”

He also defended Israel’s attack on Qatar, claiming that Israel did want a ceasefire with Hamas but arguing it was necessary to “remove some of the people if they are not willing to get that deal”.

Even before Tuesday’s airstrikes, Sir Keir had faced criticism for welcoming Mr Herzog to the UK, with demonstrators gathering outside Downing Street ahead of the meeting.

In the Commons, SNP Westminster leader Stephen Flynn asked: “What does it say of this Prime Minister that he will harbour this man whilst children starve?”

But the Prime Minister defended his decision to meet Mr Herzog, saying: “I will not give up on diplomacy. That is the politics of students.”