British Foreign Secretary, David Cameron, has urged Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, for the necessity of an “immediate pause in the fighting” in the Gaza Strip, reiterating the call for a two-state solution.
Following Cameron’s meeting with Netanyahu during his visit to Jerusalem on Wednesday, in which they discussed Israel’s ongoing war on and bombardment of Gaza, he acknowledged in a statement today that the “scale of suffering in Gaza is unimaginable. More must be done, faster, to help people trapped in this desperate situation.”
Recounting his talk with Netanyahu, Cameron said he insisted to the Israeli Prime Minister that “far more trucks need to be able to enter Gaza and more crossings need to open.” He further clarified that “it’s time for an immediate pause in the fighting because we’ve got to not only get the aid in, but, crucially, we’ve got to get those hostages out”.
There are reportedly 130 Israeli hostages who remain held by Palestinian Resistance group, Hamas, since its operation into Israel on 7 October, with a potential ceasefire deal expected to secure their release if agreed upon and implemented. Most recently, Israel reportedly offered Hamas a pause in the fighting for up to 2 months in return for the release of all of the hostages, but refused to offer a full ceasefire.
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“What I think we can do now is plan for how you turn that pause into a permanent, sustainable ceasefire without a return to fighting”, Cameron stated. “That’s what I was pushing on him [Netanyahu]”.
During his diplomatic mission, the Foreign Secretary also met with Palestinian Authority President, Mahmoud Abbas, in the West Bank city of Ramallah. In both meetings, Cameron reportedly emphasised and insisted on Britain’s belief that long-term peace must be based on reaching the establishment of a Palestinian State alongside Israel, reiterating the two-state solution as the United Kingdom’s official foreign policy position on the conflict.
Another matter which Cameron urged the Israeli leadership on was that of aid deliveries for Gaza, suggesting that the Israeli port city of Ashdod to be used for that purpose. The UK’s Foreign Office has also said that Israel must open more routes into Gaza and fully restore water, fuel and electricity supplies – a call which came as the Foreign Office also announced its deployment of a 17-tonne consignment of family-sized tents that was being flown to Gaza on Thursday, marking the first joint consignment from the UK and Qatar.