Sadiq Khan criticised over call for ‘equivalence’ in Israel-Hamas debate
Sadiq Khan has been re-elected for an unprecedented third term as Mayor of London – Martin Wheatley/i-Images
Sadiq Khan has been criticised after suggesting there must be equally strong criticism of the actions of Hamas and Israel.
Mr Khan, the Labour Mayor of London, used the same language to condemn the Oct 7 massacre, in which Hamas killed 1,200 Israeli civilians, and the bombardment of Gaza by the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) that has followed.
Speaking after he was sworn in for a third term at City Hall, Mr Khan told The Telegraph: “It’s an issue of humanity and I think you’ve got to show equivalence.
“I condemn unequivocally the actions of Hamas on Oct 7 – those 134 hostages must be released. At the same time, I condemn unequivocally the actions of the IDF and [Benjamin] Netanyahu – 34,000 people have perished including 14,000 children.”
His remarks, seven months on from the Oct 7 atrocity, were criticised as an “insult” to its victims, as Downing Street said there was “no equivalence” between Hamas, a proscribed terrorist organisation, and Israel’s elected leadership.
A source close to Mr Khan said he was making the point that he had been appalled by the loss of life across the conflict, whether that was the deaths of Israelis on Oct 7 or those of Palestinian civilians in Israeli strikes on Gaza.
Mr Khan has gone further than Sir Keir Starmer, the Labour leader, in his criticisms of Israel. He called for an immediate ceasefire months before Sir Keir did so, and more recently demanded an end to arms sales to the country.
Downing Street led criticism of the comments on Tuesday night, with a source saying: “There is no equivalence between a terrorist group and a democratic state. Starmer needs to disassociate himself from these comments immediately.”
Suella Braverman, the former home secretary, said the Oct 7 attacks “involved the rape, torture and murder of more than a thousand innocent men, women and babies and they continue to keep hostages in captivity”.
She added: “It’s utterly wrong and an insult to those victims to equate the brutality of Hamas to the legitimate military measures that Israel is taking in defence of its people and nation.
“Israel must be supported by the UK Government to defeat Hamas and free the hostages. That’s how we end the fighting and work towards peace for everyone.”
Sir Jacob Rees-Mogg, a former business secretary, said: “Israel must surely have the right to self-defence. That doesn’t make everything Israel does right, but condemning them unequivocally and to equate them with the terrorist acts of Hamas is surely wrong.”
Speaking at the Tate Modern art gallery as he began his unprecedented third term, Mr Khan vowed he would “listen more” to Londoners during the next four years and make the capital “the best city in the world to grow up in”.
He also hit out at Donald Trump after the former US president claimed last week that London had become “unrecognisable” because it had “opened its doors to jihad”, saying British culture had been eroded by tolerance of pro-Palestinian protests.
“You know a couple of days ago Donald Trump said London had, and I quote, ‘opened the door’ to extremism. He couldn’t be more wrong,” he said.
Mr Khan has been criticised for his handling of weekly pro-Palestinian marches on the streets of the capital, with Jewish campaigners saying central London had become a “no-go zone” at weekends.
Comparing Mr Trump’s policies to those of Susan Hall, the Tory mayoral candidate he defeated on Thursday, Mr Khan added: “The truth is, through the result of this election, London has slammed the door shut on his brand of hard-Right populism.
“London has said no to racism, no to division and no to hate and yes once again to diversity, unity.”
Mr Khan also sounded a defiant note on his controversial green policies, which have included the expansion of Ulez to outer London, and said he would “go even further” in introducing policies to combat climate change. Under the Ulez scheme, the drivers of older vehicles are charged £12.50 a day in an attempt to improve air quality.
Mr Khan told reporters: “I’m passionate that London maintains a position at the forefront of climate action and environmental stewardship globally.
“We’ve already made significant progress in cleaning up our air with the construction of the world’s largest clean air zone. And now we’ll go even further, putting air conditioning filters in primary schools, protecting and enhancing our green spaces and delivering a 100 per cent zero-emissions bus fleet by 2030.”
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