- Foreign Secretary has travelled
to Saudi Arabia after the G7 Foreign Ministers’ meeting in
Tokyo
- He will hold high-level talks with regional Foreign Ministers
in diplomatic efforts to prevent escalation and work towards a
two-state solution
- He will push for a collective effort to get lifesaving
aid into Gaza as quickly as possible, through as many routes
as possible.
The Foreign Secretary will reiterate the UK’s commitment to
prevent regional escalation of the crisis and increasing the flow
of humanitarian aid into Gaza on a visit to Saudi Arabia on 9
November.
will meet with Foreign
Ministers from the Middle East, who are gathering in Saudi Arabia
ahead of a League of Arab States emergency meeting on Gaza on
Saturday.
He is expected to raise efforts to prevent wider regional
escalation, including in Lebanon and Yemen, and offer continued
UK support to bolster deterrence and counter threats from malign
groups in the region.
The Foreign Secretary will also discuss initiatives to
significantly increase the volume of aid reaching civilians in
Gaza, including medicines, fuel and water, and ensure a pipeline
of funds and supplies to support the relief effort. He will
reaffirm the UK’s support for further humanitarian pauses in the
fighting as soon as possible to deliver aid and provide a crucial
window for hostages – including British nationals – to be
released.
In his meetings with counterparts, the Foreign Secretary will
also reiterate the UK’s condemnation of the rise in settler
violence and call for Israel to hold those responsible to account
to improve the situation in the West Bank. He will outline
the UK’s support for reinvigorating diplomatic efforts towards a
achieving a viable two-state solution.
His visit to Saudi Arabia follows on from his attendance at the
G7 Foreign Ministers’ meeting, where attendees agreed on the
urgent need to allow humanitarian pauses to facilitate urgently
needed assistance, civilian movement and release of
hostages.
The Foreign Secretary,
said:
I have been focused on diplomatic efforts to secure the release
of hostages, to ensure that foreign nationals can leave Gaza, to
deter any escalation regionally and to facilitate the flow of
humanitarian aid at scale.
I will continue this essential work in Saudi Arabia where I will
meet with a number of my counterparts in the region to explore
how we achieve those aims quickly and also look to the future of
a lasting, peaceful, and prosperous two-state solution for both
Israelis and Palestinians.
His visit follows the UK’s delivery of vital equipment and
lifesaving aid to support civilians in Gaza and a £30 million
increase in UK assistance to Occupied Palestinian
Territories.
Since Hamas’ terrorist atrocities 7 October, UK government
ministers have been engaging with countries across the Middle
East, as well as the international community. The Prime Minister,
Foreign Secretary and Defence Secretary have all visited the
region in recent weeks to push for lifesaving aid to get into
Gaza, support the return of British nationals, prevent dangerous
regional escalation and back Israel’s right to self-defence.
