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It would be a “tragedy” if the Israeli government and Hamas “let slip” the chance of an enduring peace by not getting the stalled ceasefire deal over the line, Britain’s Foreign Secretary has warned.
David Lammy also told the UK parliament that the enduring Palestine-Israel conflict had been “littered with missed opportunities” which had ended in violence. He also warned that any deal could be derailed if the Israeli government goes ahead with its plan to prevent the UNWRA refugee agency operating in the occupied Palestinian territories.
He said the deal to release hostages and for a staged withdrawal of Israeli troops from Gaza, which is due to take effect on Sunday but was held up almost as soon as it was agreed, showed that there was “a glimmer of light in the darkness” that had been “all-consuming” since Hamas’s October 7 attacks. Israel carried out fresh air strikes on Gaza on Thursday and accused Hamas of backtracking on parts of the fragile ceasefire and hostage release deal ahead of an expected vote by its cabinet.
The truce, announced by mediators Qatar and the United States on Wednesday, would take effect on Sunday and involve the exchange of Israeli hostages for Palestinian prisoners, after which the terms of a permanent end to the war would be finalised.
But the office of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Thursday that Hamas had "reneged on parts of the agreement reached ... in an effort to extort last-minute concessions". It also said that the Israeli cabinet, which has yet to approve the agreement, "will not convene until the mediators notify Israel that Hamas has accepted all elements of the agreement". Hamas political bureau member Sami Abu Zuhri said there was "no basis" for Israel's accusations.
“It would be a tragedy to let slip the chance before us,” Mr Lammy told MPs. “We must grab it with both hands, the chance not just for a ceasefire but for a lasting peace. The chance to break the cycle of violence which has inflicted so much suffering on innocent people on both sides.”
For Palestinians to rebuild their devastated homes in Gaza the international community needs to deliver the estimated $40 billion required for rebuilding, he said. The reconstruction needs co-ordination, with the Palestinian Authority having “a crucial role to play”, something the UK politician said he had discussed with President Mahmoud Abbas on Monday.
Britain would assist in helping an inclusive Palestinian government in Gaza, that would be a “crucial first step in achieving not only better lives for Palestinians, but a future for Gaza”. Mr Lammy said there would be “no role” for Hamas in controlling Gaza and that their “terrorism had to come to an end”.
The conflict had proven that Hamas could not be erased as a military force, he said, stating that “what eradicates extremism is diplomacy and a political solution and a political horizon that pulls the rug from under the terrorists”. He promised that Britain would play a full role in finding a political solution.
To cheers from MPs on both sides of the chamber, the Foreign Secretary said the agreement should be used to “establish a credible pathway to a two-state solution” with equality for both sides. “The decades long conflict between Israelis and Palestinians cannot be managed, it must now be resolved,” he said. “We're not yet there. There's much negotiating still to do.”
Mr Lammy urged the Israeli government “to do the right thing and get this deal now, over the line”, to further cheers from MPs. The opportunity should also be taken to build on the Abraham Accords and particularly a diplomatic agreement with Saudi Arabia that could bring “prosperity for people in the Middle East”.
Sarah Champion, chairwoman of the international development committee, raised the issue of the banning of UNWRA on January 28. With the devastation caused to Gaza, with schools and hospitals barely functioning or under rubble and with famine looming, Mr Lammy replied: “We cannot see how there cannot be a role for the essential UN agency at this time, if this peace is to hold”.
He added that he had made this point to the Israeli Government during a visit to the region on Monday. “The clock is ticking down to that Knesset legislation, and what we don't want is this peace on Sunday undermined by that legislation just a few days into its passing.”
