There is 'no future for Gaza under Hamas' says British ambassador to Israel

Simon Walters, the UK’s ambassador to Israel, believes that “no international player will invest in Gaza’s reconstruction while Hamas remains in control.”

In an interview with Calcalist Tech, the veteran diplomat said that his placement in Israel, which began in September 2023, was the first he had requested in his career. 

“The appointment in Israel is the only one I have asked for to date,” said Walters, 53, who has been working in the region since the late 90s. 

“I spent my entire career in the Middle East, and the region has become my specialty,” he said, having lived in Saudi Arabia, Yemen, Iraq and Egypt. 

“I have a special fondness for Israel,” he added.

The ambassador, who was the British consul in Jerusalem from 2008 to 2011, said his youngest son is Israeli born. The family is not Jewish, but Walters speaks both Arabic and Hebrew, having lived with a British-Israeli family in Kibbutz HaHotrim, to hone his language skills prior to his appointment.

He firmly believes in dialogue, but not with Hamas, he said, only with “moderate parties.”

“I love the directness of Israeli culture and the fact that you can have a proper debate here – as I often do – and still maintain good relations with the person you’re arguing with,” the diplomat explained.

“It’s a huge responsibility to live here and stand alongside Israelis during this terrible time,” said Walters, who took up his appointment shortly before the deadly Hamas invasion on Oct. 7, 2023. 

“Everyone here has lost a friend, knows someone who was kidnapped, or has been under missile attack. An important part of my mission is to convey to London what’s happening here.”

Walters admitted that the massive media focus on Israel and Gaza has been generally one-sided:

“One of the things that frustrates me is that the international media hasn’t covered the reality here clearly or fairly. The focus has been entirely on Gaza – which is understandable given the colossal destruction and great suffering there – but very little has been reported on what’s happening in Israel.”

For example, he continued, “no one in Israel was safe from missile fire for an entire year until the IDF launched a strong response against Lebanon. Or the fact that the Houthis continued firing ballistic missiles for 15 months, with near-daily attacks last September. 

“Christians living in Israel woke up on Christmas morning to a rocket attack that sent the entire center of the country into shelters. It’s important that people understand what Israel is going through.”

Walters’s view on reconstructing Gaza minus Hamas is in line with that of the recently stated view of Israel’s Economy Minister, former Jerusalem Mayor, Nir Barkat. 

At the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, last month, Barkat told Reuters:

“The key question is if...they want to build a Dubai or rebuild Gaza the way it was. Dubai recognised the state of Israel, they are focusing on mutual economies...we would like to see Dubai in our region, not Gaza.”

Israel withdrew its forces from the Gaza Strip in 2005, forcing 90,000 Jewish residents to leave their homes and livelihoods.

In 2007, the Hamas terrorist organization took power, putting to death many moderate Palestinian leaders. Thanks to international funding, the Iranian proxy group built a vast underground network of tunnels and military infrastructure, some of which was underneath schools, mosques and hospitals.