Thank you, President, and I thank Special Coordinator Wennesland
for his briefing today.
Israel continues to deal with the brutal horror and the aftermath
of the October 7th attacks and Hamas continues to hold innocent
hostages continue in Gaza. The UK condemns these attacks
unequivocally. Israel has a right to defend itself and ensure
such an attack can never happen again.
At the same time, innocent Palestinians are facing unfathomable
human suffering in Gaza. The latest IPC report stated that there
is an imminent risk of famine. Disease is on the rise. A
devastating humanitarian crisis is worsening day by day. The UK
agrees with the recommendations in the IPC report.
President, I wish to make three points:
First, the UK has long been calling for an immediate humanitarian
pause in fighting, to get aid in and hostages out, leading to a
sustainable ceasefire. Yesterday’s adoption of Resolution 2728
delivered just that, we now need to see its full implementation.
We welcome the ongoing negotiations led by Qatar, Egypt, and the
US to this end. And we reiterate our call on Hamas to immediately
and unconditionally release all hostages.
Second, Israel needs to do more to ensure significantly more
live-saving aid can reach those in need in Gaza. This includes
opening Ashdod Port and Kerem Shalom in full and to their maximum
operating capacity, issuing visas to UN workers and aid agencies.
And ensuring effective deconfliction to guarantee the safety of
aid convoys.
The Foreign Secretary and Prime Minister have reiterated these
messages to Prime Minister Netanyahu and other senior Israeli
political leaders in recent weeks.
The UK has trebled our aid commitment this financial year. And we
will keep doing everything we can to get more aid in by land,
sea, and air to reach those in desperate need in Gaza.
We are also deeply concerned to hear reports that Israel has
blocked UNRWA’s access to Northern Gaza. We call on Israel to
ensure urgently the UN can deliver food aid immediately to those
living in the North, many of whom are at greatest risk of
starvation.
Third, we are alarmed by the continued expansion of settlements
and unprecedented levels of settler violence in the West Bank,
including the most recent Israeli announcement of the
denomination of 1,976 acres of land in the Jordan Valley as state
land. We are clear; settlements are a violation of international
law, and we must continue to take further steps to hold those to
account who undermine the steps to peace in the West Bank.
Finally, we need to begin to focus on how we chart the way
towards a sustainable peace without a return to fighting.
That means:
- Removing Hamas’s capacity to launch attacks against Israel.
- Hamas no longer being in charge of Gaza.
- The formation of a new Palestinian Government for the West
Bank and Gaza, accompanied by an international support package.
- And a political horizon which provides a credible and
irreversible pathway towards a two-state solution, with Israel
and Palestine, living side-by-side in security and peace.
I thank you, President.
