UK Liberal Democrat leader Ed Davey will boycott Donald
Trump’s Windsor Castle state banquet, protesting his failure to act on the Gaza
conflict.
During Donald Trump's state visit to Britain next month, a leader of the UK opposition party will not attend a banquet hosted by King Charles because of the US president's views on the Gaza War.
According to Ed Davey, the leader of the Liberal Democrats, he wants to send a "strong message" by turning down the invitation to the opulent dinner.
The king will host a banquet in Trump's honor during his historic second state visit to the UK, which is scheduled for September 17–19.
"I feel a responsibility to do whatever I can to ensure the people in Gaza are not forgotten during the pomp and ceremony,"
Davey, leader of the third largest party in parliament, wrote in The Guardian on Wednesday.
"Boycotting the state banquet is not something I ever wanted to do, but I believe it is the only way I can send a message to both Trump and (UK Prime Minister Keir) Starmer that they cannot close their eyes and wish this away,"
he added.
"I have come to the conclusion that on this occasion I must refuse."
The decision was criticized as "an act of deep disrespect" by the opposition Conservative party.
However, Davey stated on Thursday that "no disrespect is meant to the king" on BBC Radio 4.
During a February visit to Washington, Starmer showed the ecstatic Trump the personal invitation from Charles.
Large-scale protests accompanied the US leader's 2019 state visit, and protests are already scheduled for the upcoming trip.
In 2019, Jeremy Corbyn, the leader of Labour at the time, was among the MPs who did not attend Trump's state dinner at Buckingham Palace.
What specific diplomatic steps does Davey want Trump to take with Israel?
Pressure Israel to commit to a ceasefire which halts
military operations that kill and hurt civilians and make humanitarian
suffering worse.
Insist that humanitarian aid can reach Gaza safely and on a regular basis so that starvation is prevented and to recently help support this period of blockade and war.
Support a recognition of a Palestinian state as part of diplomatic settlement, recognizing the two-state concept, as this would allow for the establishment of conditions for sustainable peace.
Davey is pushing Trump to work with the Israeli leadership to prevent further destabilization, stop settlement expansion, and stop attempts at forced displacement. Davey also implicitly challenges Trump's earlier proposals, including the determination that the US would take control of Gaza or the plans that might result in the dislocation of Palestinian people.