Press release

Foreign Secretary welcomes Egyptian ceasefire initiative in Gaza and Israel

Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond urges parties in Gaza and Israel to take this opportunity to end hostilities.

From:
Foreign & Commonwealth Office and The Rt Hon Philip Hammond
Published
15 July 2014
This was published under the 2010 to 2015 Conservative and Liberal Democrat coalition government

The Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond said:

I welcome Egypt’s ceasefire initiative. I pay tribute to the Egyptian government for their efforts and the leadership they have shown in attempting to broker a cessation of hostilities.

I also welcome Israel’s acceptance in principle of the terms of the proposed ceasefire agreement, and the Palestinian Authority’s endorsement of the Egyptian initiative. I call on Hamas and all militant factions in Gaza to take this opportunity to cease hostilities, ending all rocket fire into Israel, so that the bloodshed on both sides can stop.

A cessation of the violence will allow the opportunity to tackle the underlying causes of instability in the Gaza strip, without which the long-term security of both Israel and Gaza will not be secured.

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Published 15 July 2014