PRESS RELEASE : Rishi Sunak call with President Biden [January 2024]
The press release issued by 10 Downing Street on 22 January 2024.
The Prime Minister spoke to US President Biden this evening.
They discussed the situation in Israel and Gaza, and the urgent need to secure the release of Israeli hostages while alleviating the very real impact of the conflict on civilians in Gaza. The Prime Minister stressed that supporting Israel in its efforts to defeat the threat from Hamas does not detract from the need for the IDF to take greater care to protect civilians and operate within International Humanitarian Law.
The Prime Minister and President Biden resolved to continue working together to encourage further humanitarian pauses to get hostages out of Gaza and allow more aid to enter. As part of this they underscored the need to open more aid routes into Gaza, including at Ashdod, while simultaneously increasing the efficiency of existing routes. The leaders also agreed that a two state solution which allows Israelis and Palestinians to live in peace and security is more important than ever.
The Prime Minister and President Biden paid tribute to the British and American personnel who are currently working closely together to uphold freedom of navigation and protect lives in the Red Sea. The Prime Minister passed on his condolences on the death of two US Navy Seals confirmed today.
The leaders condemned the surge in violent Houthi attacks on commercial ships transiting the area and undertook to continue efforts alongside international partners to deter and disrupt those attacks. This includes work through the multinational Operation Prosperity Guardian, putting diplomatic pressure on Iran to cease their support of Houthi activity and, as needed, targeted military action to degrade Houthi capabilities.
The Prime Minister updated President Biden on his recent announcement of £2.5 billion of further military support for Ukraine alongside the signing of a new UK-Ukraine bilateral security agreement. The leaders agreed that it is paramount that the world continues to back Ukraine as it resists unprovoked Russian aggression.
