David Cameron has told Benjamin Netanyahu Britain still believes in the need for a two-state solution after the Israeli prime minister rejected allies’ demands for Palestinian statehood.
The foreign secretary warned of “unimaginable” suffering in Gaza after he reiterated his call for an “immediate humanitarian pause” during a meeting in Jerusalem on Wednesday.
Lord Cameron urged Israel to open more crossing points into Gaza to allow crucial humanitarian aid into the besieged strip.
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He also called for the protection of medics and hospitals in the war in Gaza triggered by Hamas’s massacre on 7 October.
The Tory peer also met with Palestine Authority president Mahmoud Abbas in Ramallah during his trip to the Middle East.
Israel’s prime minister has maintained his objection to Palestinian statehood despite calls from the US to work towards the two-state solution after the conflict.
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Mr Netanyahu said last week that the idea would “endanger the state of Israel” as he criticised the “attempt to coerce us”.
Lord Cameron reiterated the UK’s support for the Jewish state’s attempts to secure the release of the remaining hostages, adding that the Foreign Office believed there were about 130 still being held by Hamas.
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But he also stressed to Mr Netanyahu that Britain believes long-term peace must be based on achieving a Palestinian state alongside Israel.
In a statement, Lord Cameron said: “The scale of suffering in Gaza is unimaginable. More must be done, faster, to help people trapped in this desperate situation.
“As I said to PM Netanyahu yesterday, far more trucks need to be able to enter Gaza and more crossings need to open.
“We need an immediate humanitarian pause to get aid in and hostages out, followed by a sustainable ceasefire, without a return to hostilities.”
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The Foreign Office announced that a 17-tonne consignment of family-sized tents was being sent into Gaza on Thursday in a first joint consignment from the UK and Qatar.
During his visit, Lord Cameron will see the aid being loaded onto a plane destined for Egypt, where it will go by road to Gaza through the Rafah crossing.
The Foreign Office also called for Israel to fully restore water, fuel and electricity supplies to Gaza.
