"I want to see an immediate ceasefire in Gaza. Hamas must immediately release the hostages. And there must be immediate, unimpeded aid to Gaza. The UK government must use all the diplomatic leverage it has to create the conditions needed for an immediate ceasefire that is observed by both sides. We are calling for the Government to resume critical UK funding to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) for Palestine Refugees and help to prevent widespread starvation.
I believe that restrictions on aid are completely unacceptable and must end now. Labour has been clear for months our complete opposition to an Israeli offensive in Rafah, which is catastrophic for civilians. This strike comes in the wake of the ICJ's ruling on Rafah. Israel must comply with the binding orders of the international court and heed the warnings that the UK and our allies have repeatedly expressed. We also condemn Hamas’s rocket attacks on Israel.
We also need to look forward to how we can build a just and lasting peace out of the horrors of this war. This can only happen with a clear pathway to a two-state solution, where both Israelis and Palestinians can have security, justice, freedom and opportunity in their own lands. We are committed to recognising a Palestinian state as a contribution to a renewed peace process which results in a two-state solution with a safe and secure Israel alongside a viable and sovereign Palestinian state.
I am, and have been for a number of years, a supporter of the Abraham Initiatives and have contributed at their events. Abraham Initiatives is a Jewish-Israeli and Palestinian-Israeli organization that advances social inclusion and equal rights for Israel's Palestinian citizens by influencing public policy, shaping public opinion and demonstrating practical models for a shared society. The Abraham Initiatives envision Israel as a democratic state, homeland of the Jewish people and all its citizens, that guarantees and protects the full citizenship and equal rights of its Palestinian citizens; where Jewish- and Palestinian-Israelis co-create a cohesive, inclusive society; and that exists peacefully alongside an independent, sovereign Palestinian state. I have met with Wayne David, Shadow Minister for the Middle East and North Africa, following conversations with a Cities of London and Westminster resident about their friends and experience in Gaza, to make clear my position as set out above."