Rishi Sunak is in Israel today for talks with the country’s leaders amid the ongoing conflict. The Prime Minister has just concluded a televised appearance with Benjamin Netanyahu, in which the Israeli Premier paid tribute to Sunak. He thanked him for his ‘strong statement of support’ and grounded Israel’s fight in the context of Britain’s own history. ‘You fought the Nazis 80 years ago,’ he said, ‘Hamas are the new Nazis.’ He framed the conflict as a fight between good and evil, modernity and barbarism, declaring that both Israel and the world were facing their ‘darkest hour’. On one side stand ‘the forces of progress and humanity’; on the other ‘an axis of evil, led by Iran through Hezbollah, Hamas and others’ who threaten ‘an age of bondage and war and slavery and annihilation’.

Sunak was resolute in his support, telling Netanyahu: ‘We will stand in solidarity, we will stand with your people. We want you to win.’ He said that the UK supports Israel’s right to defend itself in line with international law, as well as its right to go after Hamas, with Israel ‘taking every precaution to avoid harming civilians in direct contrast to the terrorists of Hamas which seek to put civilians in harm’s way’. Sunak’s statement came after an earlier meeting with President Isaac Herzog, in which he spoke of Israel’s ‘duty’ to restore its security. The meetings are all part of a whirlwind diplomatic tour. Sunak will later today fly to Saudi Arabia for talks with Mohammed bin Salman and only return to London tomorrow. Foreign Secretary James Cleverly will also travel to Egypt, Turkey and Qatar over the next three days.

Sunak is the latest in a succession of western leaders to visit Israel in the wake of the devastating terror attacks 12 days ago. President Joe Biden, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen have all undertaken similar journeys. The purpose of these trips is twofold. First, they demonstrate to a grieving Israel that its pain is acknowledged and shared by the West. Second, Israel listens to humanitarian concerns about the laws of war and the fate of Palestinian civilians based in Gaza.