Prime Minister has today reiterated her view
that direct peace talks remain the best way to secure a two-state
solution. Mrs May's comments came during the weekly Prime
Minister's Questions session in the House of Commons, in response
to a question from CFI's Parliamentary Chairman, Rt. Hon. Sir
MP.
Sir Eric called for Mrs May to press Palestinian Authority Prime
Minister Rami Hamdallah to meet with Israeli's Prime Minister
Benjamin Netanyahu.
Rt. Hon. Sir MP asked: "In my Rt. Hon.
Friend’s [Theresa May] meeting with Mr Netanyahu this week, did
she press that the only way to get a lasting peace settlement is
for young Palestinians and young Israelis to look forward to a
job, a share in prosperity and a life without fear. Does she
agree that the only way to achieve this is face-to-face
negotiations, and will she join the Israeli Prime Minister in
pressing the Prime Minister of the Palestinian Authority for
face-to-face negotiations?"
Prime Minister replied: "My Rt. Hon. Friend
does make a very important point about this. We continue as a
Conservative Government in the UK to believe that the two-state
solution is the right one. That means a viable Palestinian state,
but also a safe and secure Israel. And of course it is for the
parties to negotiate. Obviously there are others on the
international arena who are doing their work to facilitate an
agreement in the Middle East, but ultimately it is for the two
parties to agree a way forward".
ENDS
Note to Editors
Today's PMQ comes ahead of a Backbench Business Debate tomorrow
(Thursday 9th) on 'Israeli settlements in the occupied
Palestinian Territories'. The debate was secured by a small group
of pro-Palestinian MPs, which they will likely press to a vote.
Only backbench MPs can vote, members of the government are
excluded. Any resolution passed is not binding on the government.
A spokesperson for Prime Minister recently stated: "We do not
believe that the way to negotiate peace is by focusing on only
one issue, in this case the construction of settlements, when
clearly the conflict between the Israelis and Palestinians is so
deeply complex... The Government believes that negotiations will
only succeed when they are conducted between the two parties,
supported by the international community".
