A call from a friend in Gaza to an influential Labour MP was instrumental in Britain’s historic move towards recognising the Palestinian state, she has told The National.
Just days before the UK government announced its first steps in recognising the state, Sarah Champion received a phone call from a friend who told the politician that after months of struggling to find food in Gaza “my family are just waiting to die”, and everyone they knew felt the same.
“To lose hope is a horrific thing, I felt useless and knew I needed to do something to try and restore it,” Ms Champion told The National.
The next steps she took were to have a decisive impact on Britain recognising Palestine as a sovereign nation and influencing President Donald Trump’s view that starvation was genuine in Gaza.
Had to act quickly
The call taken by Ms Champion, chairwoman of Parliament’s international development committee, was on Wednesday, July 23.
The situation in Gaza was visibly deteriorating, with pictures of starving children shared on social media. There was a growing consensus to rein in Israel’s actions, she felt, including its plans to further annex occupied West Bank territories.
With parliament heading into summer recess Ms Champion had to act quickly if she was to maximise pressure on the government.
She knew that very senior cabinet members − including the Foreign Secretary David Lammy − were dismayed by Israel’s dismissal of their concerns and had been quietly lobbying Prime Minister Keir Starmer for Palestine recognition.
If she could garner enough cross-bench parliamentary support then that could provide the impetus for a major political step.
Message blitz
Ms Champion and her team went to work sending WhatsApp messages and emails to fellow MPs to sign a letter that called on Mr Starmer to recognise Palestine.
“I was amazed how many we got, and in such a short space of time – just 30 hours – but I think it is a clear representation of the strength of feeling in Parliament in support of the Palestinian plight,” she said.
The following night, France suddenly announced it would recognise Palestine, and by 5pm on the Friday she had amassed a record number of 221 signatures from MPs representing nine different parties.
“UK recognition would have a significant impact due to our historic connections and our membership on the UN Security Council, so we urge you to take this step,” the MPs said.
Key to the gathering of signatures was the respect held by fellow MPs from all parties for Ms Champion, who has been consistently outspoken on the plight of Palestinians.
With this in mind, Mr Starmer knew he had to respond quickly and while he did not immediately agree, he did use new language condemning Israel’s “disproportionate military escalation in Gaza” that was “indefensible”.
'Set the agenda'
However, with US President Donald Trump landing in Scotland just a few hours later, now was not the time to initiate a political earthquake.
But having the American leader in Britain was useful as he would be meeting Mr Starmer on the Monday, by which time after continued weekend reports of the grim situation in Gaza, 255 MPs had now signed the letter.
The letter, according to Ms Champion, had “set the agenda for journalists when Trump came to the UK”, and this made the President more aware of the dire situation.
In the press conference with Mr Starmer, Mr Trump stated “that’s real starvation stuff, I see it, and you can’t fake that,” adding “we have to get the kids fed”.
The letter had been “a significant factor in his comments around believing starvation was occurring in Gaza”, claims Ms Champion.
Indication of urgency
More important was the letter’s impact on the British government’s decision on July 29, just after Mr Trump left Scotland, to set out its steps towards recognition.
“The letter gave them an indication of the urgency, and I am glad they listened,” Ms Champion said.
While Britain’s move was met with fury from Israel, she argued that it sent a “clear signal” that the UK believed “Palestine is a viable state and needs to be treated as such; with all the protections and rights afforded to other nations”.
“To have a two-state solution, you have to have two states,” she added. “And the Israeli cabinet needs to understand the status quo is neither acceptable nor going to continue.”
Israel also needed to secure a ceasefire and work for a lasting peace that “enables both countries to feel safe and respected”, added the MP for Rotherham, in northern England.
Britain, unless Israel meets certain conditions will now be joined by France, Canada, Australia and Malta at the UN General Assembly next month in recognising Palestine, taking the total of countries that do so to 152.
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Muslim Council of Elders condemns terrorism on religious sites
The Muslim Council of Elders has strongly condemned the criminal attacks on religious sites in Britain.
It firmly rejected “acts of terrorism, which constitute a flagrant violation of the sanctity of houses of worship”.
“Attacking places of worship is a form of terrorism and extremism that threatens peace and stability within societies,” it said.
The council also warned against the rise of hate speech, racism, extremism and Islamophobia. It urged the international community to join efforts to promote tolerance and peaceful coexistence.
French business
France has organised a delegation of leading businesses to travel to Syria. The group was led by French shipping giant CMA CGM, which struck a 30-year contract in May with the Syrian government to develop and run Latakia port. Also present were water and waste management company Suez, defence multinational Thales, and Ellipse Group, which is currently looking into rehabilitating Syrian hospitals.
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Polarised public
31% in UK say BBC is biased to left-wing views
19% in UK say BBC is biased to right-wing views
19% in UK say BBC is not biased at all
Source: YouGov
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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UK’s AI plan
- AI ambassadors such as MIT economist Simon Johnson, Monzo cofounder Tom Blomfield and Google DeepMind’s Raia Hadsell
- £10bn AI growth zone in South Wales to create 5,000 jobs
- £100m of government support for startups building AI hardware products
- £250m to train new AI models
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Distance covered: 160km
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South Pole stats
Distance covered: 130km
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Pakistan World Cup squad
Sarfraz Ahmed (c), Fakhar Zaman, Imam-ul-Haq, Abid Ali, Babar Azam, Haris Sohail, Shoaib Malik, Mohammad Hafeez(subject to fitness), Imad Wasim, Shadab Khan, Hasan Ali, Faheem Ashraf, Junaid Khan, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Mohammad Hasnain
Two additions for England ODIs: Mohammad Amir and Asif Ali
Avatar: Fire and Ash
Director: James Cameron
Starring: Sam Worthington, Sigourney Weaver, Zoe Saldana
Rating: 4.5/5
Why seagrass matters
- Carbon sink: Seagrass sequesters carbon up to 35X faster than tropical rainforests
- Marine nursery: Crucial habitat for juvenile fish, crustations, and invertebrates
- Biodiversity: Support species like sea turtles, dugongs, and seabirds
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Directed by: Ashwiny Iyer Tiwari
Starring: Kriti Sanon, Ayushmann Khurrana, Rajkummar Rao
Three and a half stars
Mercer, the investment consulting arm of US services company Marsh & McLennan, expects its wealth division to at least double its assets under management (AUM) in the Middle East as wealth in the region continues to grow despite economic headwinds, a company official said.
Mercer Wealth, which globally has $160 billion in AUM, plans to boost its AUM in the region to $2-$3bn in the next 2-3 years from the present $1bn, said Yasir AbuShaban, a Dubai-based principal with Mercer Wealth.
“Within the next two to three years, we are looking at reaching $2 to $3 billion as a conservative estimate and we do see an opportunity to do so,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Mercer does not directly make investments, but allocates clients’ money they have discretion to, to professional asset managers. They also provide advice to clients.
“We have buying power. We can negotiate on their (client’s) behalf with asset managers to provide them lower fees than they otherwise would have to get on their own,” he added.
Mercer Wealth’s clients include sovereign wealth funds, family offices, and insurance companies among others.
From its office in Dubai, Mercer also looks after Africa, India and Turkey, where they also see opportunity for growth.
Wealth creation in Middle East and Africa (MEA) grew 8.5 per cent to $8.1 trillion last year from $7.5tn in 2015, higher than last year’s global average of 6 per cent and the second-highest growth in a region after Asia-Pacific which grew 9.9 per cent, according to consultancy Boston Consulting Group (BCG). In the region, where wealth grew just 1.9 per cent in 2015 compared with 2014, a pickup in oil prices has helped in wealth generation.
BCG is forecasting MEA wealth will rise to $12tn by 2021, growing at an annual average of 8 per cent.
Drivers of wealth generation in the region will be split evenly between new wealth creation and growth of performance of existing assets, according to BCG.
Another general trend in the region is clients’ looking for a comprehensive approach to investing, according to Mr AbuShaban.
“Institutional investors or some of the families are seeing a slowdown in the available capital they have to invest and in that sense they are looking at optimizing the way they manage their portfolios and making sure they are not investing haphazardly and different parts of their investment are working together,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Some clients also have a higher appetite for risk, given the low interest-rate environment that does not provide enough yield for some institutional investors. These clients are keen to invest in illiquid assets, such as private equity and infrastructure.
“What we have seen is a desire for higher returns in what has been a low-return environment specifically in various fixed income or bonds,” he said.
“In this environment, we have seen a de facto increase in the risk that clients are taking in things like illiquid investments, private equity investments, infrastructure and private debt, those kind of investments were higher illiquidity results in incrementally higher returns.”
The Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, one of the largest sovereign wealth funds, said in its 2016 report that has gradually increased its exposure in direct private equity and private credit transactions, mainly in Asian markets and especially in China and India. The authority’s private equity department focused on structured equities owing to “their defensive characteristics.”
Dubai Bling season three
Cast: Loujain Adada, Zeina Khoury, Farhana Bodi, Ebraheem Al Samadi, Mona Kattan, and couples Safa & Fahad Siddiqui and DJ Bliss & Danya Mohammed
Rating: 1/5
Timeline
2012-2015
The company offers payments/bribes to win key contracts in the Middle East
May 2017
The UK SFO officially opens investigation into Petrofac’s use of agents, corruption, and potential bribery to secure contracts
September 2021
Petrofac pleads guilty to seven counts of failing to prevent bribery under the UK Bribery Act
October 2021
Court fines Petrofac £77 million for bribery. Former executive receives a two-year suspended sentence
December 2024
Petrofac enters into comprehensive restructuring to strengthen the financial position of the group
May 2025
The High Court of England and Wales approves the company’s restructuring plan
July 2025
The Court of Appeal issues a judgment challenging parts of the restructuring plan
August 2025
Petrofac issues a business update to execute the restructuring and confirms it will appeal the Court of Appeal decision
October 2025
Petrofac loses a major TenneT offshore wind contract worth €13 billion. Holding company files for administration in the UK. Petrofac delisted from the London Stock Exchange
November 2025
180 Petrofac employees laid off in the UAE
Groom and Two Brides
Director: Elie Semaan
Starring: Abdullah Boushehri, Laila Abdallah, Lulwa Almulla
Rating: 3/5
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Name: Dr Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
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- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
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- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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11 cabbie-recommended restaurants and dishes to try in Abu Dhabi
Iqbal Restaurant behind Wendy’s on Hamdan Street for the chicken karahi (Dh14)
Pathemari in Navy Gate for prawn biryani (from Dh12 to Dh35)
Abu Al Nasar near Abu Dhabi Mall, for biryani (from Dh12 to Dh20)
Bonna Annee at Navy Gate for Ethiopian food (the Bonna Annee special costs Dh42 and comes with a mix of six house stews – key wet, minchet abesh, kekel, meser be sega, tibs fir fir and shiro).
Al Habasha in Tanker Mai for Ethiopian food (tibs, a hearty stew with meat, is a popular dish; here it costs Dh36.75 for lamb and beef versions)
Himalayan Restaurant in Mussaffa for Nepalese (the momos and chowmein noodles are best-selling items, and go for between Dh14 and Dh20)
Makalu in Mussaffa for Nepalese (get the chicken curry or chicken fry for Dh11)
Al Shaheen Cafeteria near Guardian Towers for a quick morning bite, especially the egg sandwich in paratha (Dh3.50)
Pinky Food Restaurant in Tanker Mai for tilapia
Tasty Zone for Nepalese-style noodles (Dh15)
Ibrahimi for Pakistani food (a quarter chicken tikka with roti costs Dh16)
A MINECRAFT MOVIE
Director: Jared Hess
Starring: Jack Black, Jennifer Coolidge, Jason Momoa
Rating: 3/5
Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis
