UK foreign secretary visits Israel and West Bank, calls for immediate ceasefire in Gaza
- David Lammy said war in Gaza is ‘intolerable’ and stressed that Britain wants to help with diplomatic efforts in ‘securing a ceasefire deal’
The new British foreign secretary called for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza during a visit to Israel and the Palestinian territories on Sunday, his second international trip since Labour’s resounding victory in elections earlier this month.
David Lammy said the continuing war in Gaza is “intolerable” and stressed in meetings with Israeli and Palestinian leadership that Britain wants to help with diplomatic efforts “securing a ceasefire deal and creating the space for a credible and irreversible pathway towards a two-state solution.”
During his visit, Lammy will also meet families of hostages currently being held in Gaza who have ties to the UK. He called for the release of all hostages and a dramatic increase in the amount of humanitarian aid entering Gaza.
Lammy demanded Israel halt settlement expansion in the Israeli-occupied West Bank and east Jerusalem, and said the Palestinian Authority needs to be “reformed and empowered”.
Both Lammy’s Labour Party and the previous Conservative government initially avoided calling for an immediate ceasefire in the war, using phrases such as “humanitarian pause”. But the language has got stronger. Prime Minister Keir Starmer told Netanyahu last week there was a “clear and urgent need for a ceasefire”.
Labour’s stance on the Gaza war cost it votes in this month’s UK election. Although the party won in a landslide, pro-Palestinian independents defeated Labour candidates in several seats with large Muslim populations.