BIRMINGHAM, England
UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer called for an immediate cease-fire in Gaza during a speech in Parliament on Monday, emphasizing the urgent need for humanitarian aid and the return of hostages.
"I've spoken to the leaders of Israel and the Palestinian Authority," Starmer said. "I've been clear that I fully support Israel's right to security and the desperate need to see the hostages returned. And I've also been clear that the situation in Gaza is intolerable and that the world will not look away as innocent civilians, including women and children, continue to face death, disease, and displacement."
Starmer underscored the UK's policy of pursuing a cease-fire as the only viable solution to the crisis.
“It cannot go on. We need an immediate cease-fire: hostages out, aid in, a huge scale-up of humanitarian assistance. That is the policy of this government," he stated.
About the resumption of British funding to the UN agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA), Starmer said this diplomatic step was one of the first actions of the newly elected Labour government.
Addressing the International Court of Justice's (ICJ) recent opinion, Starmer affirmed the government's stance against the expansion of illegal settlements and called for renewed commitment to a two-state solution.
“We call on all sides to recommit to stability, peace, and normalization of a two-state solution: a recognized Palestinian state and the right of the Palestinian people alongside a safe and secure Israel," he concluded.
The ICJ said last week that Israel should stop settlement activity in the occupied West Bank and East Jerusalem and end its "illegal" occupation of those areas and the Gaza Strip as soon as possible.