In an exclusive interview with Arabian Business, former UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson, who previously served as Foreign Secretary, emphasised the importance of a Palestinian state as the only viable solution to end the ongoing “pain and suffering” in the region.
His comments come as the conflict in the region show no signs of letting up with Israel launching further attacks on Beirut and aid struggling to reach people in Gaza.
Despite his close ties with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Johnson admitted feeling “uncomfortable with the level of pain and suffering” caused by Israel’s actions in Palestine and Lebanon. He reiterated his long-standing support for a two-state solution.
“The only solution has got to be a homeland for the Palestinian people, that has to be the solution. But it doesn’t look likely to happen anytime soon because of the catastrophe that’s been unfolding,” he told Arabian Business.
Johnson also distinguished between the actions of the Israeli Defence Force (IDF) and those of Hamas. “What I do believe is that on the whole, notwithstanding the suffering of the people of Gaza, this is a moral difference between the actions of the IDF and Hamas, whose leaders and entire membership is devoted to, not just the extermination of the State of Israel, but to murdering all Jewish people, not just in Israel, but around the world,” he stated.
Since the attack on October 7 inside Israel by Hamas, Johnson, like many Western world leaders, positioned himself as a vocal advocate for Israel’s right to retaliate. But it was clear as tensions flare in the conflict that Johnson has raised more than an eyebrow at the humanitarian crisis unfolding in Gaza. He believes the people of Palestine need a change in leadership.
“I just wish somehow that there could be a leadership in Palestine, where the people must have a homeland, that could make that essential accommodation and not have an agenda that is so nihilistic and so disastrous. Because if you’re a democratic leader in Israel and your population comes under attack the way it did on October 7, it’s very difficult to do anything except to make sure that that doesn’t happen again.”
While condemning Hamas’ violence, Johnson acknowledged the “great deal of unnecessary suffering” endured by civilians in Gaza but maintained that, “by and large, I believe it has been the intention of the IDF to minimise human suffering, whereas it has been the intention of Hamas to maximise human suffering.” When pressed on the number of innocent civilians killed during the war, Johnson stood firm, arguing that the IDF’s primary goal is to “prevent an atrocity such as October 7 from happening again.”
Follow us on
