The trajectory in the West Bank and East Jerusalem remains alarming: UK statement at the UN Security Council
Statement by Ambassador Kate Foster, UK Chargé d’Affaires to the UN, at the UN Security Council meeting on the Middle East.
Last November this Council adopted UN Security Council Resolution 2803, endorsing President Trump’s Comprehensive Peace Plan for Gaza.
It continues to offer a historic opportunity to achieve lasting peace. But eight months on, implementation risks stalling.
Now is the time for all parties to fulfil their commitments under the plan, in full.
In that context, I will highlight three priorities to reinvigorate implementation.
First, we need further action to improve the humanitarian situation in Gaza.
Civilians continue to endure horrendous conditions surrounded by sewage and rubble.
We welcome the progress that has pulled Gaza back from the levels of famine seen last year.
However, according to the IPC’s latest snapshot, 1.2 million people still face significant food shortages, with projections indicating 90% of the population will remain dependent on humanitarian aid to survive.
While food may be available in some private markets, it remains unaffordable or inaccessible for many Palestinians, particularly the most vulnerable.
Averting famine cannot be a benchmark for success. Nor can improving the humanitarian situation be conditional on progress on other tracks.
Israel must fulfil its commitments under the Comprehensive Plan by ensuring unimpeded humanitarian access.
This includes opening more crossings into Gaza, streamlining the dual-use approvals process, and allowing life-saving and essential recovery items to enter.
We are also deeply concerned by reports of Hamas obstructing humanitarian operations, as Deputy Special Coordinator Alakbarov set out today.
That includes the recent incident at a World Food Programme distribution centre.
Actions that disrupt the lifesaving assistance are unacceptable.
The UN, including UNRWA, and NGOs must be able to operate safely and at scale so that they can help alleviate the suffering.
Second, we need renewed momentum on security, governance, and recovery in Gaza.
We reiterate that Hamas must fulfil its commitments to decommission its weapons and dismantle its terrorist infrastructure.
This should be phased and verified alongside a strengthened Palestinian security presence, deployment of an International Stabilisation Force, and a sequenced Israeli withdrawal.
At the recent Palestinian Donor Group, the UK joined the Team Gaza Initiative and announced over 13 million dollars for the UN Horizon Fund.
These commitments should support Palestinian-led delivery across all of Gaza.
There can be no permanent arrangements that entrench Gaza’s division or leave millions of people living under Hamas control.
Thirdly, the trajectory in the West Bank and East Jerusalem remains deeply alarming.
We are appalled by the violence in the West Bank on 24 July, in which four Palestinians and two Israelis were killed.
We condemn violence on all sides and call for de-escalation.
We urge the Israeli government to exercise restraint, to uphold stability and international law, and to ensure accountability for crimes.
We are also alarmed by the mass incursion at the Haram al Sharif Temple Mount on 23 July by thousands of Jewish worshippers.
The Status Quo on Jerusalem’s holy sites is clear and should be respected.
We are further concerned by reports of an incursion by Israeli forces on an UNRWA training centre near Kalandia refugee camp yesterday morning.
These incidents form part of a broader deterioration in the stability and security of the West Bank, fuelled by settler violence and Israeli government policies.
104 Israeli settlements have been approved in four years, and billions of dollars allocated to speed up construction. Together, these represent a deliberate attempt to erode the possibility of a two-state solution.
Madam President, the path to peace requires the parties to demonstrate the political will needed to realise the promise of the comprehensive peace plan.
We must now renew momentum across all tracks and deliver positive change on the ground.
That is the only route to a future based on a two-state solution that delivers peace, security, and dignity for Palestinians and Israelis alike.