After Joe Biden, UK PM Rishi Sunak heads to Israel: What will he achieve?

Israel formally declared war on 7 October after Hamas terrorists broke past the country’s protective border via land, sea, and air. Leaders from over the world are coming to Israel to control the escalating tension. UK prime minister Rishi Sunak has also flown to Israel as part of diplomatic efforts to stop the crisis, his office said. Sunak’s visit comes after those of US president Joe Biden on 18 October and German chancellor Olaf Scolz on 17 October. Rishi Sunak’s trip to Israel The British prime minister left London on Wednesday night for his two-day visit, and today he is set to meet with Israel prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu and president Isaac Herzog. Sunak will condemn Hamas’ “horrific act of terror” and offer condolences for the “terrible loss of life in Israel and Gaza in the last two weeks as a result of Hamas’ brutal terrorist attacks,” according to a statement provided by Downing Street ahead of his visit. “Sunak will also stress that any civilian death is a tragedy and tell fellow leaders that, as an international community, we must not let Hamas’ barbaric terrorism and disregard for human become a catalyst for further escalation of conflict in the region.” In addition, the British leader is anticipated to insist that the Britons trapped in Gaza be allowed to leave and that the humanitarian aid that London recently announced will be boosted for the Palestinians be permitted to reach Gaza at a time when Israel has approved the entry of supplies from Egypt. Sunak will reportedly travel to “a number of other regional capitals,” though Downing Street declined to provide specifics out of concern for security. [caption id=“attachment_13269432” align=“alignnone” width=“640”] A Palestinian girl carries a blankets as she walks past the site of a deadly explosion at al-Ahli hospital, in Gaza City. AP[/caption] Ahead of his trip, Sunak said, “Every civilian death is a tragedy. And too many live have been lost following Hamas’s horrific act of terror.” “The attack on al-Ahli hospital should be a watershed moment for leaders in the region and across the world to come together to avoid further dangerous escalation of conflict. I will ensure the UK is at the forefront of this effort.” Although the British leader is not bringing any UK journalists with him, he is anticipated to speak to local reporters. He will return to the UK on Friday in the afternoon. Moreover, according to The Associated Press, James Cleverly, the foreign secretary, will travel to Egypt, Turkey, and Qatar to seek support for a peaceful resolution. The foreign secretary will advocate for a deal that allows aid workers access to Gaza and calls for the release of British hostages held by Hamas. On Wednesday, in response to an urgent query about the hospital explosion, Cleverly echoed Sunak and cautioned against jumping to conclusions, stating that doing so would only increase West Asian instability and put the UK’s sense of community at jeopardy. Defense Secretary Grant Shapps also met US counterpart Lloyd Austin in Washington “to co-ordinate” their approach. Before Israel launches its highly anticipated ground offensive in Gaza, the government will be determined to deploy all available diplomatic tools as soon as possible. Joe Biden’s visit to Israel Biden swept into wartime Israel for a 7.5-hour visit Wednesday that produced a heaping dose of vocal support, a deal to get limited humanitarian aid into Gaza from Egypt, and a plea for Israelis not to allow rage over the deadly attack to consume them. The president’s visit came after hundreds of people were reported killed in an explosion at a Gaza Strip hospital. “I understand. Many Americans understand,” Biden said as he wrapped up his stay in Tel Aviv, likening the 7 October Hamas assault to the attacks against the US on 11 September 2001, that killed nearly 3,000 people. “You can’t look at what has happened here… and not scream out for justice,” he said, as per AP. [caption id=“attachment_13269422” align=“alignnone” width=“640”] President Joe Biden talks to reporters aboard Air Force One during a refueling stop in at Ramstein Air Base in Germany. AP[/caption] “But I caution this: While you feel that rage, don’t be consumed by it,” he said. “After 9/11, we were enraged in the United States. And while we sought justice and got justice, we also made mistakes.” Biden urged Israel to step back from the brink, not just to ease growing tensions in the West Asia that threaten to spiral into a broader regional conflict, but also to reassure a world rattled by images of carnage and suffering, in Israel and Gaza alike. Biden says the US will provide $100 million in humanitarian assistance for Palestinians affected by conflict in Gaza and the West Bank. While speaking to reporters on Air Force One during a refuelling stop in Germany on his way back to the US, the American leader said he spoke with Egypt President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi after his visit to Israel, where leaders there agreed to allow the aid in. Other world leaders rushing to the region On Tuesday, German chancellor Olaf Scholz visited Tel Aviv and met with relatives of German hostages held by Hamas. He said that the German government would do whatever it can to secure the hostages’ release, according to Reuters. He also spoke to Israeli PM Netanyahu about how to get humanitarian aid to civilians in the besieged Gaza Strip and would raise the topic with Egypt’s president as well. “Germany and Israel are united in being democratic states, acting in justice and law even in extreme situations… I have spoken with the prime minister about ways to allow the people in Gaza to receive humanitarian aid as quickly as possible,” Scholz said, speaking alongside Netanyahu in Israel. [caption id=“attachment_13268812” align=“alignnone” width=“640”] Palestinians use slings to hurl stones during clashes with Israeli forces near Ramallah in the Israeli-occupied West Bank. Reuters/Ammar Awad[/caption] “We want to protect civilians and prevent civilian deaths,” he added. The region will also be visited by the French president Emmanuel Macron, he said, “as soon as I consider that we have a useful agenda and very concrete actions to drive forward.” The intensifying conflict The war that began 7 October has become the deadliest of five Gaza wars for both sides. The Hamas-run Gaza Health Ministry said Wednesday that 3,478 Palestinians have been killed and more than 12,000 injured in the past 11 days. More than 1,400 people in Israel have been killed, and at least 199 others, including children, were captured by Hamas and taken into Gaza, according to Israeli authorities. One million people have been displaced in roughly 10 days, according to the United Nations. Hamas says militants are holding 250 hostages. With inputs from agencies