By Ed Davey – The Guardian:
To refuse an invitation like this goes against all my instincts, but I want to send as strong a message as I can
Amother holding a baby boy so thin from starvation you can see his skeleton. The lifeless bodies of children killed while queueing for water. Emaciated hostages, still held captive by Hamas almost two years after those appalling terror attacks.
These images and countless more have horrified us all in recent months. The humanitarian crisis in Gaza must stop. The famine must end. The hostages must be returned home.
There is one man, more than anyone else, who has the power to make it happen. One man who could pick up the phone to Benjamin Netanyahu, Israel’s prime minister, and tell him to end the aid blockade that is causing suffering and starvation on such an appalling scale. One man who could use his influence on Qatar and other Gulf states to help secure the urgent release of Hamas’s hostages.
Donald Trump could do those things today if he chose to. He has more power than anyone else finally to force a ceasefire and put Israel and Palestine on the path to a lasting peace with a two-state solution.
But so far, he’s decided not to. Instead, he’s given Netanyahu his full support. Last week, when he was making his bogus boasts about ending six wars, Trump said Ukraine is “the only one left” – showing he doesn’t even see what’s happening in Gaza as a war he wants to stop.
In three weeks’ time, Trump will touch down in the UK for his second state visit, which will include a state banquet at Windsor Castle hosted by King Charles.
One of the great privileges of being the leader of my party is that my wife, Emily, and I are invited to attend state banquets. Receiving an invitation from the king is an enormous honour, and I take very seriously my duty to our sovereign. As a member of parliament, I have proudly sworn by almighty God that I will be faithful and bear true allegiance to His Majesty King Charles, his heirs and successors. To refuse an invitation like this goes against all of my instincts.
But having thought and prayed long and hard about it with Emily, I have come to the conclusion that on this occasion I must refuse.
This is not about the many other issues on which I profoundly disagree with President Trump. I think Keir Starmer is right to engage with him, although I do wish he were tougher with Trump on everything from tariffs to Vladimir Putin. Indeed, I argued last January that we should use the offer of a state visit – something Trump so desperately craves – as leverage to persuade him to do the right thing. I believe the US is an important ally, no matter who is in the White House, and I strongly believe in sitting down and negotiating with the president, no matter our disagreements.
So what it comes down to now is this: I fear we could have a situation where Trump comes to our country, is honoured with a lavish dinner at one of our finest palaces, and nobody reminds him that he has the power to stop the horrifying starvation, death and captivities in Gaza. And no one uses this moment to demand that the US president pick up that phone to Netanyahu and the Qataris and do the right thing.
I feel a responsibility to do whatever I can to ensure the people in Gaza are not forgotten during the pomp and ceremony, and to ensure the UK makes Trump’s personal responsibility for securing peace in Israel and Palestine an issue.
Boycotting the state banquet is not something I ever wanted to do, but I believe it is the only way I can send a message to both Trump and Starmer that they cannot close their eyes and wish this away. Donald Trump must act now to end the humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza and get the hostages released.
