Throughout High-Level Week, we heard a clear and repeated commitment to achieving a two-state solution.<\/p>\n
It remains the only credible path\u00a0forwards\u00a0to a better future for Israelis and Palestinians, founded on lasting peace and security for both.<\/p>\n
Yet the two-state solution is at risk of being destroyed by the facts on the ground.<\/p>\n
Mr President, my\u00a0Prime Minister has been clear: the 7th\u00a0October 2023 terrorist attack on Israel was monstrous, and he has condemned Hamas\u2019 actions in the strongest terms.<\/p>\n
The United Kingdom continues to stand with Israel in the face of ongoing threats, including from Iran.<\/p>\n
But my Prime Minister has also been clear that this does not justify the Government of Israel\u2019s actions in the West Bank and Gaza.<\/p>\n
In the West Bank, Israel continues to expand settlements at pace, in violation of international law, and contrary to Resolution 2334.<\/p>\n
We are approaching a point of no return with the E1 settlement project.<\/p>\n
We welcome the reports that the deadline for bids may be delayed.\u00a0<\/p>\n
But a temporary delay is not enough.\u00a0<\/p>\n
It would sever East Jerusalem from the West Bank and endanger the viability of a two-state solution.<\/p>\n
This project must not go ahead.<\/p>\n
Alongside the rapid expansion of settlements, we have also seen an alarming increase in settler violence.<\/p>\n
The Government of Israel must prevent violence in\u00a0all of\u00a0its forms and ensure proper accountability for perpetrators.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Pardons and decisions not to bring charges against Israeli soldiers who have committed violent crimes\u00a0sends\u00a0the opposite message.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The United Kingdom is acting with international partners to protect the two-state solution.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
Together with partners, we have announced our intention to legislate to\u00a0ban the import of goods from illegal settlements,\u00a0and bring in sanctions against those who finance, support, and facilitate illegal settlements.<\/p>\n
We have been clear that we view the Israeli occupation of Palestinian land as unlawful.<\/p>\n
We continue to support the Palestinian Authority\u2019s\u00a0reform agenda and welcome its commitments to hold elections.<\/p>\n
Credible, transparent, and reformed public institutions remain essential to a future Palestinian state.<\/p>\n
We welcome the recent extension by Israel of correspondent banking relationships.\u00a0<\/p>\n
But we need urgent action to reverse policies\u00a0which are\u00a0crippling the West Bank economy.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Further measures must include:<\/p>\n
The release of clearance revenues to the Palestinian Authority;<\/p>\n
Ensuring sustainable and predictable banking arrangements;<\/p>\n
Easing movement and access restrictions, facilitating trade, and improving access to employment and economic opportunities.<\/p>\n
Turning to Gaza, the United Kingdom remains fully committed to implementation of Resolution 2803 and the 20-Point Peace Plan.<\/p>\n
Hamas must decommission its weapons, dismantle its terrorist infrastructure, and completely relinquish its control of Gaza.<\/p>\n
The United Kingdom has pledged $117 million in humanitarian and early recovery assistance this year.\u00a0<\/p>\n
But aid cannot save lives if it cannot reach people.\u00a0<\/p>\n
With another winter approaching, urgent action is needed.<\/p>\n
Last week, my Foreign Secretary, alongside Jordan and Qatar, brought partners together behind a Call to Action on humanitarian access and healthcare in Gaza.<\/p>\n
The focus must now be on turning that shared commitment into tangible improvements for people on the ground.<\/p>\n
Israel must lift all restrictions on humanitarian aid, stop the killing in Gaza, and withdraw.<\/p>\n
Mr President, we\u00a0are at a critical juncture.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The peoples of Israel and Palestine deserve a better future.<\/p>\n
This Council must do all we can to protect the two-state solution, bolster stability in the West Bank, and bring the suffering in Gaza to an end.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Throughout High-Level Week, we heard a clear and repeated commitment to achieving a two-state solution. It remains the…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":785521,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[59,57,58,50,56,54,55],"class_list":["post-785520","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-united-kingdom","tag-gb","tag-great-britain","tag-greatbritain","tag-news","tag-uk","tag-united-kingdom","tag-unitedkingdom"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/785520","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=785520"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/785520\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/785521"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=785520"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=785520"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=785520"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}