Strong praise of Qatar was the order of the day across the political spectrum in the British parliament on Wednesday, as the Labour government affirmed its commitment to Qatar’s security.

Contrary to widespread predictions that he would only weakly express concern over Israel‘s attack on Doha, Prime Minister Keir Starmer explicitly condemned it on Tuesday afternoon, declaring that the Israeli strikes “violate Qatar’s sovereignty and risk further escalation across the region.”

Starmer also spoke to Qatari Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani in a phone call on Tuesday evening.

The prime minister’s office said he offered the emir his condolences over the death of a Qatari security officer in the attack – and praised Qatar’s role in trying to broker a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas.

A dozen Israeli fighter jets hit a meeting of senior Hamas officials who were discussing the latest US-backed ceasefire proposal for Gaza on Tuesday afternoon.

The attack killed six people, including the son of Hamas’s chief negotiator and a member of Qatar’s internal security force, and injured several civilians.

But senior Hamas leaders, who have been hosted in the country since 2012, survived the attack.

In the House of Commons on Wednesday, Starmer reiterated his condemnation of the Israeli strikes.

The Scottish National Party’s Stephen Flynn challenged him on why he is planning to host Israeli President Isaac Herzog, who “called for the collective punishment of the Palestinian people and who signed the artillery shells that destroyed their homes, their families and their friends”, for a meeting on Wednesday evening.

Starmer hit back, saying: “We have suspended arms that could be used in Gaza. We have sanctioned extremists. We suspended trade talks.

“I will not give up on diplomacy – that is the politics of students.”

With such rhetoric, Israel hardly comes off as a favoured ally.

Significantly, Starmer did not refute or otherwise address Flynn’s assertion that Herzog had called for collective punishment – an obvious war crime.

He simply defended meeting the Israeli president on diplomatic grounds.

‘Genuinely working towards peace’

Condemnation of Israel from backbenchers was universal.

Tory MP Kit Malthouse, who for his party is unusually critical of Israel’s war in Gaza, asked Middle East Minister Hamish Falconer: “What military and intelligence assistance will we be providing to the Qataris to allow them to defend themselves against further attacks?”

Falconer replied: “We are committed to Qatar’s security and defence. We have a close relationship with them on both.

“And we are, of course, in constant discussions with the Qataris about the importance of that collaboration.”

Emily Thornberry, a Labour MP and chair of the Foreign Affairs Select Committee, stood up to draw a contrast between the behaviour of Israel and that of Qatar.

‘They couldn’t be more sincere in the efforts that they’re making – and they get bombed for their efforts.’

Emily Thornberry MP

“There is an emboldened far-right Israeli government who believe that they can do what they like and there won’t be any consequences,” she said.

“And on the other hand, we have a country like Qatar who are genuinely working towards peace. And I know the minister has met the [Qatari] ministers. I have met them too.

“They couldn’t be more sincere in the efforts that they’re making – and they get bombed for their efforts.”

Thornberry further asked: “How can we make sure that we aren’t just bystanders and are actually playing an active role in dealing with this issue, and in what way will the PM be able to convey such a message to President Herzog this afternoon?”

Falconer responded by saying that the UK is supporting calls for an emergency session of the UN Security Council on Wednesday evening to discuss the issue.

Shadow Foreign Secretary Priti Patel, a former Tory minister with a reputation for pro-Israel advocacy, spoke sombrely about the need for regional de-escalation.

She said that “Israel and Qatar are both important and valued strategic partnerships for the United Kingdom, and we value and recognise the extensive efforts by the Qatari government to secure the release of hostages, and their work towards securing a ceasefire”.

She added that “it is tragic that security guards were killed in this attack”.

Saad Mohammed al-Humaidi al-Dosari, the sole Qatari fatality, was a member of Qatar’s Internal Security Force, known as Lekhwiya, which is the country’s elite law enforcement unit.

Labour MP Abtisam Mohamed, a member of the Foreign Affairs Select Committee, said that “the longer Israel is allowed to act like a rogue state… the weaker our words look.”

“Why are we meeting Israel’s President Herzog today?” she asked.

Falconer responded by praising Mohamed’s work in parliament and said: “It is important that we raise our concerns directly with the Israeli government, both in order to try and contribute towards a diplomatic process, but also to try and secure the practical and tangible help required to get people out of Gaza.”