Overview

• On August 10, US Ambassador Mike Huckabee likened UK calls for a Gaza ceasefire to Britain’s WWII decisions in a post on X, drawing sharp rebuke.
• Labour MP Emily Thornberry publicly dismissed the envoy as “clearly an idiot” in response to his remarks.
• Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer has warned he will recognise a Palestinian state at the UN General Assembly in September unless Israel agrees to an immediate ceasefire and expanded humanitarian access.
• Germany suspended arms exports after Israel’s Security Cabinet overruled military objections to a planned siege and invasion of Gaza City on August 6.
• The US administration continues to back Israel’s military operations, deepening the divide with European allies concerned about rising civilian deaths and mass starvation in Gaza.