- Lord Ahmad set to meet Israeli and Palestinian leaders in the
West Bank over the next 2 days to discuss the crisis in the
Middle East
- he will advocate for immediate humanitarian pauses to help
aid reach Gaza, for British nationals to leave Gaza, and steps
towards a political resolution which provides justice and
security to both Israelis and Palestinians
- visit follows announcement that the UK will provide an
additional £30 million in humanitarian aid for civilians in Gaza
Minister for the Middle East, , is travelling to
Israel and the West Bank as a part of the UK’s diplomatic efforts
to get aid into Gaza, secure the release of hostages, recognise
Israel’s security concerns and prevent regional escalation.
The UK continues close work with partners and allies in the
region to ensure vital lifesaving aid, including food, water,
fuel and medical supplies, reaches Gaza as fast as possible. Lord
Ahmad will stress this point in his engagements with Israeli
leaders, including advocating for an immediate humanitarian pause
to allow aid to enter and for steps towards allowing British
nationals to leave Gaza as soon as possible.
Lord Ahmad will also be discussing with leaders from Israel and
the Occupied Palestinian Territories efforts to prevent regional
escalation and move closer towards achieving a two-state
solution, as part of a political resolution which provides
justice and security for both Israelis and Palestinians.
Lord Ahmad said:
I am travelling to the Middle East to further efforts to get
lifesaving aid into Gaza, to help ensure British nationals can
leave Gaza and prevent regional escalation.
We need a collective effort to get aid into Gaza as quickly as
possible – including food, water, fuel and medical supplies. The
UK has contributed another £30 million in aid to this end and
I’ll be discussing what more action must be taken.
I will raise with Israeli and Palestinian leaders the urgent need
to avoid regional escalation following Hamas’s terrorist attack
and push for a two-state solution as part of a political
resolution to this conflict, which provides justice and security
for Israelis and Palestinians.
The minister’s visit comes off the back of a raft of senior
diplomatic engagement. On 20 October the Prime Minister visited
Israel, Saudi Arabia and Egypt to speak with the Prime Minister
Netanyahu, Crown Prince of Saudi
Arabia Mohammed Bin Salman, the Amir of Qatar, Sheikh
Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani, President of Egypt Abdel
Fattah El-Sisi, and President of the
Palestinian Authority Mahmoud Abbas.
The Foreign Secretary was in the United Arab Emirates on Monday
for discussions on the crisis, following recent talks in Egypt,
Turkey and Qatar, and calls with his Egyptian and Israeli
counterparts over the weekend. He was also the first Foreign Minister to
visit communities affected by Hamas’ terror attack in
the south of Israel.
The UK’s diplomatic efforts are supported by an additional £30 million of
humanitarian aid to the Occupied Palestinian
Territories – more than doubling our existing aid
commitment for this year (£27 million). The funding will include
support to the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine (UNRWA)
in responding to critical food, water, health, shelter and
security needs in Gaza.
