- The Foreign Secretary hosted Foreign Ministers from Arab and
Islamic countries at Lancaster House today to discuss
co-operation on the crisis in Israel and Gaza.
- Discussions with the Arab-Islamic Ministerial Committee
focused on how to secure the release of all hostages, increase
the amount of aid into Gaza, and reach a long-term political
solution to the crisis.
- Visit followed agreement reached overnight between Israel and
Hamas on coordinated hostage releases and a pause in the
fighting.
Following the agreement reached between Israel and Hamas for
coordinated hostage releases and a four-day pause in the
fighting, the Foreign Secretary emphasised the importance of
allowing humanitarian organisations to bring in more fuel so they
can carry out lifesaving work unimpeded — including powering
hospitals or desalination plants, which supply 80% of Gaza’s
water.
The Foreign Secretary discussed with leaders at the meeting how
to reinvigorate diplomatic efforts towards a viable two-state
solution, which provides security for both Israelis and
Palestinians, and restated the UK’s condemnation of the rise in
settler violence in the West Bank.
He committed to continued UK support to prevent wider regional
escalation, including in Lebanon and Yemen.
Foreign Secretary, ,
said:
Today I have chaired a meeting of leaders from Arab countries and
other Islamic states on the situation in Israel and
Gaza.
The agreement reached last night is an important opportunity to
get the hostages out and more aid into Gaza to help the
Palestinian people.
We discussed how to use this step forward to think about the
future and how we can build a peaceful future which provides
security for Israel but also peace and stability for the
Palestinian people.
Foreign Ministers from Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Egypt, the
Palestinian Authority, Turkey, Indonesia and Nigeria, as well as
the Secretary General of the League of Arab States and Ambassador
of Qatar attended the event in London.
The group was formed as a ‘Peace Committee’ at the Joint Arab
Islamic Extraordinary Summit, held in Riyadh on 11 November. The
group are visiting the capitals of Permanent Members of the UN
Security Council, arriving in London after meetings in Beijing
and Moscow, with further travel planned to Paris and
Washington.
The UK has helped lead the international response to the
humanitarian crisis, by recently announcing £30 million
in additional aid to the Occupied Palestinian Territories on
23rd October– more than doubling the existing aid commitment for
this year (£27 million).
