The News
As Israel marks the one-year anniversary of Hamas’ Oct. 7 attacks, it faces calls for immediate ceasefire and diplomatic resolution to the escalating conflict in the Middle East.
The View From THE US
US President Joe Biden described the attacks as “the deadliest day for the Jewish people since the Holocaust,” adding that history would remember Oct. 7 as a “dark day” for Palestinians because of the conflict unleashed by Hamas.
US Vice President and Democratic candidate Kamala Harris described the attacks as “pure evil” and said she would do “everything in [her] power” to ensure Hamas is “never again able to govern Gaza,” while reiterating the Biden administration’s calls for a hostage and ceasefire deal in the enclave and a diplomatic solution across the Israel-Lebanon border. Harris also said she would “always fight for the Palestinian people to be able to realize their right to dignity, freedom, security, and self-determination.”
The View From The UK
British Foreign Secretary David Lammy condemned the Oct. 7 attacks as “terrorism on a scale and brutality that few countries have ever experienced” but reiterated his government’s calls for a lasting ceasefire that would prevent the further suffering of Palestinians in Gaza and pave the way for a political solution to the conflict.
The UK was “firmly shoulder to shoulder” with Israel in the immediate aftermath of the Hamas onslaught, but that relationship came under strain as Benjamin Netanyahu’s government stepped up its bombardment of Gaza.
After Keir Starmer’s Labour Party came to power in July, his more left-leaning government restored funding to the Palestinian relief agency UNRWA, dropped its opposition to the International Criminal Court’s arrest warrant for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, and suspended a small number of arms licenses to Israel amid concerns about violations of international humanitarian law.
The View From THE EU
The European Union is “hopelessly divided” over the conflict, Politico reported: Ireland, Spain, and Belgium remain staunchly critical of Israel, while Austria and Hungary continue to express unconditional support. Some positions seem to be shifting, however: French President Emmanuel Macron drew Netanyahu’s ire by calling for a halt on weapons deliveries to Israel on Saturday.
The View From Russia
Russia’s First Deputy Permanent Representative to the United Nations said there could be “no justification” for the Oct. 7 attack but appeared to suggest it was the outcome of Israel’s decades-long “illegal actions against Palestine,” adding that any condemnation of Hamas must also be balanced with condemnation of Israel’s bombardment of Gaza.
The View From Iran
Earlier this week, Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said the Oct. 7 attack was “logical and legal,” adding that “every blow to the Zionist regime by any individual or group is not only a service to the entire region but to all of humanity.” The Palestinian Authority has criticized such remarks in the past: “Tehran is sacrificing the blood of the Palestinian people for its own interests,” President Mahmoud Abbas said.