The former Chair of the Joint
Intelligence Committee, Lord (Peter) Ricketts, has warned that
the Israeli government’s ‘security-only’ strategy in Palestine
‘hasn’t worked.’
New leadership in both Israel and
Palestine is needed to end the war, he told the Lord
Speaker, , during an episode
of the Lord Speaker’s corner podcast published today (Friday 16
February 2024.)
He said:
“The awful terrorist attack
of 7 October showed that...however difficult, they need to start
thinking about a two-state solution. New Palestinian leadership
that can be much more focused on working with Israel, not the
terrorism we've seen in the past. And frankly, a new Israeli
government who can put behind them Prime Minister Netanyahu's
policy of security only and look at a political settlement.
Because at the end of the day, the security settlement hasn't
worked.”
In a wide-ranging interview, the
crossbench peer also gave his analysis on the war in Ukraine.
The former ambassador to NATO
said it was ‘not a good outcome’ but that no outright victory on
either side was likely. He predicted an armistice or a truce
between a Russian occupied zone and an independent Ukraine that
should seek NATO and EU membership. He said that that the
war had brought the UK and EU closer post-Brexit as a result of
joint working on sanctions against
Russia.
, who served as permanent
secretary to the Foreign Office between 2006-2010, also
discussed the ‘dangerous
trend’ of Ministers choosing
their own senior officials such as permanent secretaries, which
he says has contributed to the politicisation of the civil
service.
He said
“you tend to get people
picking those with the same kind of outlook and view. You begin
to lose the challenge that the civil service ought to
represent.”
Ends
NOTES TO
EDITORS
, an expert in international
relations, British diplomat for almost 40 years and now a
crossbench member of the House of Lords, has previously served as
the UK’s ambassador to France and representative to NATO. He has
been chair of the Joint Intelligence Committee, was the UK’s
first national security adviser and the most senior civil servant
in the Foreign and Commonwealth
Office.
His full interview can be watched
at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JGOpB4SIBQQ&feature=youtu.be
Full transcript https://cdn.roxhillmedia.com/production/email/attachment/1600001_1610000/e95068d32049e999d3863bff9f9c77075e02418c.docx
