- Foreign Secretary engages key strategic partners as part of a long-term framework for peace in Gaza
- Meetings in the United Arab Emirates, Qatar and Kingdom of Saudi Arabia amidst deteriorating humanitarian situation in Gaza
- Latest in series of UK visits to the Gulf to strengthen relations across foreign policy, trade, investment and defence
This visit has been cancelled: The UK continues its push towards long term peace in Gaza as the Foreign Secretary holds meetings with key partners in the Middle East during a three-day visit.
Amid a backdrop of an appalling humanitarian crisis, including the spread of famine, the Foreign Secretary will meet senior officials in the United Arab Emirates, Qatar and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to build consensus around a framework for lasting peace in the region. He will focus on the need to turn any ceasefire into a durable peace, through a monitoring mechanism, the disarmament of Hamas and a new governance framework for Gaza.
The Foreign Secretary will reiterate that the war in Gaza must be ended through an immediate ceasefire, the release of all hostages, and through much more aid being allowed into Gaza. During meetings, the Foreign Secretary will highlight that the Israeli Government’s refusal to allow sufficient aid into Gaza is indefensible and that greater pressure needs to be exerted to allow significantly more aid to enter the territory. He will call for more pressure on Hamas to release all the hostages and accept they can play no role in the governance of Gaza.
Foreign Secretary David Lammy said:
The situation in Gaza is utterly bleak. Each day the humanitarian crisis worsens with famine threatening to spiral across the territory, while the hostages remain cruelly held captive.
The UK is working in lockstep with our Gulf partners to establish a framework for peace. Ending the war in Gaza means not just reaching a ceasefire but turning it into a durable peace.
As we push for that immediate ceasefire, the unconditional release by Hamas of all hostages and a transformation in the delivery of aid, we are working intensely on the conditions for a lasting peace and the foundations of a two-state solution.
The UK continues to fund vital life-saving aid for Gaza, with a recent announcement of an additional £15 million for medical care and aid bringing the UK’s humanitarian funding commitment for the Occupied Palestinian Territories to £75m this financial year. This includes funding for United Nations Population Fund to provide support for pregnant women and girls and support for UK Med’s field hospitals in Gaza. Later this month, critically ill Gazan children are expected to arrive in the UK for specialist treatment.
Alongside the framework for peace, the UK will set out its commitment to the viability of the two-state solution, including the intention to recognise Palestinian statehood in coordination with other international partners.
During his visit, the Foreign Secretary will use meetings to thank the UK’s allies in the Gulf for their work in seeking to end the conflict in Gaza. The United Arab Emirates has delivered vital humanitarian aid to Gaza, including in partnership with the UK. Qatar continues to seek a sustainable ceasefire in Gaza and the release of hostages, and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia provides vital security support alongside US and European counterparts within the region.
While in the region, the Foreign Secretary will hold talks on strengthening UK-Gulf trade ties, helping boost a trade relationship already worth more than £57 billion and bringing growth and investment opportunities to British people.
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