According to a report in the Daily Mail, UK Foreign Secretary David Lammy and his French counterpart, Stéphane Séjourné, wore the hostage symbol on their suits while meeting Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz on Friday. However, both men had removed the yellow pin when they sat down for a meeting with Palestinian Authority Prime Minister Mohammed Mustafa later that day.
Eylon Levy, a former spokesman for the Israeli government, criticized the move, saying: "Imagine if they had made the tiny gesture of keeping the pin for their meeting with the Palestinian prime minister. It would have sent a message – stop making excuses for Hamas. Tell it to free the hostages, now!"
David Lammy removes Israeli hostage badge to meet Palestinian PM.
Like Starmer removing his poppy to meet Muslims.
Labour have no principles. pic.twitter.com/U3R9XAUYTQ
— Shrodingers Borderline Normal (@JeremyCordite) August 17, 2024
The Daily Mail also reported claims in Israeli media that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had snubbed Lammy. This was because Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer had dropped the previous Conservative government's objection to the International Criminal Court's request for arrest warrants against Netanyahu and Defense Minister Yoav Gallant for alleged war crimes. However, an Israeli official denied these reports.
Meanwhile, Netanyahu's office said its negotiating team has expressed "cautious optimism" on the possibility of advancing a deal on hostages in Gaza. However, a Hamas spokesman said there were "no improvements" in the latest deal.
