On his first visit to the region since his appointment as the UK
Minister for the Middle East, Lord Ahmad visits the Occupied
Palestinian Territories.
On his first visit to the region since his appointment as the UK
Minister for the Middle East, Lord Ahmad will visit the Occupied
Palestinian Territories (OPTs) to understand the challenges
facing Palestinians, reinforcing the importance of the bilateral
relationship and see first-hand the impact of UK development and
humanitarian support in the West Bank. He will engage with the
Palestinian Authority leadership, the Palestinian public, faith
leaders, young people and meet with inspiring Palestinians
working to create thriving and profitable businesses.
During his visit Lord Ahmad will meet with key humanitarian
partners and announce £3.7m of additional funding to UNRWA to
support food assistance to 1.2 million of the most vulnerable
Palestinian refugees in Gaza.
During his time in the Old City of Jerusalem, Lord Ahmad will
tour Haram Al Sharif and meet with Sheikh Azzam Al Khatib Al
Tamimi, Director General of Islamic Endowments in Jerusalem. He
will also visit the Christian and Jewish Quarters of the city
where he will reiterate the importance of the Status Quo and
Jordanian custodianship over the Holy Sites in Jerusalem.
Lord Ahmad will also visit Hebron to hear about the impact of
Israeli settler violence on Palestinian residents and visit an
UNRWA school where he will meet with students and hear how UK aid
supports the education of Palestinian boys and girls.
The Minister will visit the Royal Plastics Factory in Hebron to
understand the challenges and opportunities for Palestinian
businesses and see how the UK’s technical assistance programmes
and diplomatic engagement are helping to support economic
development. In a separate engagement he will also discuss what
more the UK could do to unlock the potential of Palestinian
companies with key businesspeople.
In Masafer Yatta in the South Hebron Hills, Lord Ahmad will see
the impact of UK aid on vulnerable Palestinians living in Area C,
who are facing the threat of eviction and demolition of their
homes. He will reiterate the UK’s opposition to evictions and
demolitions, which are illegal under international law in all but
the most exceptional circumstances.
During the Minister’s engagements with representatives from the
United Nations, Lord Ahmad will discuss the deteriorating
humanitarian situation in the OPTs and reiterate the UK’s
longstanding support to UNRWA which provides essential services
to Palestinian refugees across the region.
The Minister’s own interest in theology and work to promote
freedom of religion and belief will be channelled into informal
discussions with religious leaders and key thinkers to discuss
the contribution of interfaith dialogue towards conflict
resolution.
Lord Ahmad is scheduled to hold a series of bilateral meetings
with the Palestinian Authority to reiterate the UK’s continued
support for the Palestinian people and for a negotiated two-state
solution, based on 1967 borders, with Jerusalem as a shared
capital, as the only way to ensure a just and lasting peace.
Ahead of his visit, Lord Ahmad said:
“My visit comes at a difficult but important time for the
Palestinian people, and I want to re-emphasise UK support to the
Palestinian people and our unwavering commitment to a negotiated
two-state solution as the only means of ending this conflict.
“Visits to various parts of the West Bank, including East
Jerusalem will allow me to witness first-hand the challenges
facing Palestinians as well as to see the impact of UK funding to
some of the most vulnerable.
“I look forward to discussing UK-Palestinian relations with a
wide range of interlocutors over the coming days.”
