PRESS RELEASE : Ministerial visit to Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territories – UK and France foreign ministers’ joint statement [August 2024]

The press release issued by the Foreign Office on 16 August 2024.

Foreign Secretary David Lammy and French Foreign Minister Stéphane Séjourné gave a statement following a joint ministerial visit to Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territories.

Statement by the Foreign Ministers of France and the United Kingdom:

We, the Foreign Ministers of France and the UK, share a common interest in the security of the State of Israel and the stability of the region as a whole. We are in Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territories on the first joint UK-France ministerial visit for a decade. As 2 UNSC permanent members, we have a specific responsibility to support ending the current escalation and securing a lasting peace to the benefit of Israelis, Palestinians and the whole region.

The risk of wider conflict in the Middle East has never been higher and we must push for de-escalation now. We have urged Iran and its proxies to stand down the ongoing threats of military attack against Israel. We have also stressed to all parties that the spiral of escalating reprisals must end. We reiterate the importance of fully implementing UN Security Resolution 1701 on Lebanon.

We stress our full support for the current efforts to reach a ceasefire and hostage release deal in Gaza led  by the US, Egypt and Qatar. There is no further time to lose to seize the opportunity and secure the release of the hostages. We strongly urge all parties to live up to their responsibilities. In addition, unfettered delivery and distribution of humanitarian aid is urgently needed, and civilians must be protected.

We reiterate that only a two-state solution, within the framework of international law, can bring a just and lasting peace to both Israelis and Palestinians. We strongly condemn settler violence in the West Bank which threatens both Israeli and Palestinian security and could put at risk ongoing diplomatic efforts. We remain committed to supporting cooperation and normalisation in the region. All actors in the region must make concrete gestures if they genuinely want to avoid war. We stand ready to engage with them to that end.

This joint visit is a symbol of the UK and France’s shared purpose in the region and wider world.