I thank Deputy Special Coordinator Alakbarov, ASG Msuya, Ms Ashing and Ms Gritzewsky for your sobering and powerful briefings today, which underline one single truth: it is time for this terrible conflict to end.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
I will make three points, President.<\/p>\n
First, the IPC\u2019s confirmation of famine in Gaza City marks the first officially recorded famine in modern history in the Middle East.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
It is entirely man-made and, as my Foreign Secretary has said, it is a moral outrage.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
Over 100 children in Gaza have died of malnutrition, while food is sitting at Gaza\u2019s borders.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
I have two clear messages for Israel: immediately lift restrictions and allow food, medical supplies and fuel to reach those in desperate need, in line with International humanitarian law.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
And allow UN and international NGOs to carry out their life-saving work without obstruction.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
It is also vital that international humanitarian law is upheld.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Israel\u2019s attack on Nasser hospital this weekend, killing civilians, health workers and journalists, is appalling.\u00a0<\/p>\n
We note the ongoing inquiry into this attack.\u00a0<\/p>\n
And it is imperative that there are urgent and transparent investigations, which hold those responsible to account, in a meaningful way.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
Second, Ms Gritzewsky provided a truly harrowing account today of the cruelty she experienced at the hands of Hamas terrorists.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
The United Kingdom unequivocally condemns conflict-related sexual violence wherever it occurs, and we continue to call for justice for survivors of these abhorrent crimes.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
Her briefing also reminded us of the agony of the hostages still held in Gaza, including her partner Matan Zangauker.<\/p>\n
The United Kingdom has been clear that Hamas must immediately release all the hostages taken on 7 October and lay down their weapons.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
And I recall that the Security Council has called for the unconditional and immediate release of the hostages in all four of our resolutions since 7 October.\u00a0<\/p>\n
But I reiterate again today that Hamas must be held accountable for their despicable actions and can have no future in the governance of Gaza.<\/p>\n
A ceasefire remains the best way to secure the release of all the remaining hostages.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
The Israeli Government\u2019s plan to expand military operations in Gaza will only put them in further danger.\u00a0<\/p>\n
We condemn this decision and urge Israel to change course.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
Third, Israel\u2019s decision to approve plans for settlement construction in the E1 area in the West Bank, if implemented, would be a flagrant breach of international law.\u00a0<\/p>\n
It will take us further away from peace.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
Israel must retract these plans.<\/p>\n
The Two-State Solution Conference last month demonstrated the strength of international support for a brighter future for the region.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
The United Kingdom opposes any actions which undermine the viability of the Two-State Solution and the long-term goal of Israelis and Palestinians living side by side in peace and security.<\/p>\n
President, now is the moment for the parties to redouble their efforts to secure an immediate ceasefire.\u00a0<\/p>\n
This is the path to end the suffering in Gaza, secure the release of the hostages and deliver a framework for lasting peace in the region.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"I thank Deputy Special Coordinator Alakbarov, ASG Msuya, Ms Ashing and Ms Gritzewsky for your sobering and powerful…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":378323,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3,4],"tags":[748,393,4884,1144,712,16,15,1764],"class_list":{"0":"post-378322","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-uk","8":"category-united-kingdom","9":"tag-britain","10":"tag-england","11":"tag-great-britain","12":"tag-northern-ireland","13":"tag-scotland","14":"tag-uk","15":"tag-united-kingdom","16":"tag-wales"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@uk\/115102223690576674","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/378322","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=378322"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/378322\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/378323"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=378322"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=378322"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=378322"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}