Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s opposition to a future sovereign Palestinian state is “disappointing”, British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak’s office said on Monday, reiterating British support for a two-state solution to the Israel-Palestinian conflict.
Asked about Netanyahu’s comments, Sunak’s spokesman told reporters: “It’s disappointing to hear this from the Israeli prime minister.”
“The UK’s position remains (that) a two-state solution, with a viable and sovereign Palestinian state living alongside a safe and secure Israel, is the best route to lasting peace,” the spokesman said.
The two-state solution has long been the fundamental framework of international efforts to resolve the conflict but the peace process has been moribund for years.
Britain has backed Israel’s right to retaliate against Hamas after the militant group’s deadly October 7 assault on southern Israel.
Biden speaks with Netanyahu on Gaza for first time in nearly a month
Biden speaks with Netanyahu on Gaza for first time in nearly a month
Sunak’s government has also called for Israel to respect humanitarian law and pauses in the fighting in the Gaza Strip to allow more aid into the besieged enclave. It wants a “sustainable ceasefire” based on the release of hostages by Hamas, to limit civilian casualties.
“Clearly, there will be a long road to recovery and lasting security in the occupied Palestinian territories and Israel,” the spokesman said. “But we will continue our long term support for the two-state solution for as long as it takes.”
“They talked about what’s going on in the Red Sea and the need for a continued international multilateral approach to disrupting and degrading Houthi capabilities,” Kirby told reporters in Washington.
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India-Maldives row escalates after Prime Minister Modi called a ‘puppet of Israel’
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The October 7 attacks resulted in the deaths of about 1,140 people in Israel, most of them civilians, according to an Agence France-Presse tally based on official Israeli figures.
Militants also seized about 250 hostages, around 132 of whom Israel says remain in Gaza.
Israel’s air and ground offensive has killed at least 24,762 Palestinians, around 70 per cent of them women, young children and adolescents, according to Gaza’s health ministry.