Statement by President Macron, Prime Minister Meloni, Chancellor Merz, Prime Minister Starmer, Prime Minister Carney, President Dan, acting Prime Minister Frederiksen, Prime Minister Frostadóttir, Prime Minister Jetten, Prime Minister Kristersson, Prime Minister Mitsotakis, Prime Minister Sanchez, Prime Minister Støre, President Stubb, Prime Minister Takaichi, President of the European Commission von der Leyen, President of the European Council Costa:
We welcome the two-week ceasefire concluded between the United States and Iran today (Wednesday 8 April).
We thank Pakistan and all partners involved for facilitating this important agreement.
The goal must now be to negotiate a swift and lasting end to the war within the coming days. This can only be achieved through diplomatic means.
We strongly encourage quick progress towards a substantive negotiated settlement.
This will be crucial to protect the civilian population of Iran and ensure security in the region. It can avert a severe global energy crisis.
We support these diplomatic efforts. To this end, we are in close contact with the United States and other partners.
We call upon all sides to implement the ceasefire, including in Lebanon.
Our Governments will contribute to ensuring freedom of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz.
“The United States has requested permission to use British bases for that specific and limited defensive purpose. We have taken the decision to accept this request“
STARMER STATEMENT 1st MARCH
Yesterday, I spoke to you about the situation in the Gulf and explained that the United Kingdom was not involved in the strikes on Iran. That remains the case.
Over the last two days Iran has launched sustained attacks across the region at countries who did not attack them.
They’ve hit airports and hotels where British citizens are staying.
This is clearly a dangerous situation.
We have at least 200,000 British citizens in the region – residents, families on holiday, and those in transit.
I ask all our people in the region to please register your presence and follow Foreign Office travel advice.
I know this is a deeply worrying time and we will continue to do all we can to support you.
Our Armed Forces who are located across the region are also being put at risk by Iran’s actions.
Yesterday Iran hit a military base in Bahrain, narrowly missing British personnel.
The death of the Supreme Leader will not stop Iran from launching these strikes.
Their approach is becoming even more reckless – and more dangerous to civilians.
Our decision that the UK would not be involved with the strikes on Iran was deliberate.
Not least because we believe that the best way forward for the region and for the world is a negotiated settlement.
One in which Iran agrees to give up any aspirations to develop a nuclear weapon.
But Iran is striking British interests nonetheless, and putting British people at huge risk, along with our allies across the region.
Our partners in the Gulf have asked us to do more to defend them, and it is my duty to protect British lives.
We have British jets in the air as part of coordinated defensive operations which have already successfully intercepted Iranian strikes.
But the only way to stop the threat is to destroy the missiles at source – in their storage depots or the launchers which used to fire the missiles.
The United States has requested permission to use British bases for that specific and limited defensive purpose.
We have taken the decision to accept this request – to prevent Iran firing missiles across the region, killing innocent civilians, putting British lives at risk, and hitting countries that have not been involved.
The basis of our decision is the collective self-defence of longstanding friends and allies, and protecting British lives.
That is in accordance with international law. And we are publishing a summary of our legal advice.
We are not joining these strikes, but we will continue with our defensive actions in the region.
And we will also bring experts from Ukraine together with our own experts to help Gulf partners shoot down Iranian drones attacking them.
I want to be very clear: we all remember the mistakes of Iraq.
And we have learned those lessons.
We were not involved in the initial strikes on Iran and we will not join offensive action now.
But Iran is pursuing a scorched earth strategy – so we are supporting the collective self-defence of our allies and our people in the region.
Because that is our duty to the British people.
It is the best way to eliminate the urgent threat and prevent the situation spiralling further.
This is the British government protecting British interests and British lives.
Starmer statement on the new US initiative to deliver an end to the war in Gaza:
‘The new US initiative to deliver an end to the war in Gaza is profoundly welcome and I am grateful for President Trump’s leadership.
‘We strongly support his efforts to end the fighting, release the hostages and ensure the provision of urgent humanitarian assistance for the people of Gaza. This is our top priority and should happen immediately.
‘We call on all sides to come together and to work with the US Administration to finalise this agreement and bring it into reality. Hamas should now agree to the plan and end the misery, by laying down their arms and releasing all remaining hostages.
‘Together with our partners, we will continue work to build consensus to put into place a permanent ceasefire. We are all committed to a collective effort to end the war in Gaza and deliver a sustainable peace, where Palestinians and Israelis can live side by side in safety and security.’
Statement by The Rt Hon Yvette Cooper, Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, at the High-Level International Conference for the Implementation of the Two-State Solution:
Thank you, Chair. Thank you, Your Excellencies, President Macron and Prince Faisal.I stand before you today, beneath the emblem of the United Nations, to confirm the historic decision of the British government to recognise the State of Palestine.
This step, alongside friends and partners, reflects a longstanding truth.
That statehood is the inalienable right of the Palestinian people and that two states is the only path to security and lasting peace for Israelis and Palestinians alike.
But it also reflects a grave reality.
The two-state solution that for decades has commanded global support is in profound peril.
From continued bloodshed, man-made famine, terrorism and hostage taking, settlement expansion and settler violence.
And Hamas terrorists continue to hold hostages seized in the barbaric attack of October 7th, prolonging the unimaginable anguish of their families.
And in Gaza, the unbearable humanitarian catastrophe worsens as the Netanyahu government chooses to escalate war and hold back aid.
Children dying of starvation while food rots at the border.
And settlement expansion threatens the very viability of a Palestinian state.
The two-state solution risks disappearing beneath the rubble.
That is what extremists on all sides want.
But we refuse to let hope be lost.
Recognition is borne of urgency and principle.
Alongside our unwavering support for the security of Israel and its people.
This pathway is the opposite of Hamas’s hateful vision.
And this process around recognition has helped cement the rejection of Hamas across the Arab world.
Alongside new reforms to the Palestinian Authority.
Because there can be no role for Hamas in the future governance of Palestine.
But recognition must be a spur, not a substitute for urgent action.
A ceasefire now, the release of all hostages, the restoration of aid and a lasting framework for peace.
Recognition is about the future, but it is rooted in our past.
75 years ago, Britain was rightly proud to recognise the State of Israel.
But the promise of upholding Palestinian rights has gone unfulfilled.
For decades, my country supported a two-state solution but only recognised one state.
That changes now.
As we join more than 150 Member States in recognising the State of Palestine and protecting the pathway to peace.
The Prime Minister will travel to Scotland today to meet the President for talks on his golf course in Turnberry
The leaders are expected to discuss progress on implementing the UK-US trade deal, hopes for a ceasefire in the Middle East and applying pressure on Putin to end the war in Ukraine
The leaders will travel on together for a further private engagement in Aberdeen
Prime Minister Keir Starmer will meet US President Donald Trump in Scotland today for wide-ranging talks.
The Prime Minister will travel to the President’s golf course in Turnberry, ahead of Trump’s landmark second State Visit to the UK in September.
Over the course of the visit, the leaders are expected to talk one-to-one about advancing implementation of the landmark Economic Prosperity Deal so that Brits and Americans can benefit from boosted trade links between their two countries.
The Prime Minister is also expected to welcome the President’s administration working with partners in Qatar and Egypt to bring about a ceasefire in Gaza.
He will discuss further with him what more can be done to secure the ceasefire urgently, bring an end to the unspeakable suffering and starvation in Gaza and free the hostages who have been held so cruelly for so long.
Securing peace in Ukraine will also be high on the agenda, with the Prime Minister and President set to talk about their shared desire to bring an end to the barbaric war. It is expected they will reflect on progress in their 50-day drive to arm Ukraine and force Putin to the negotiating table.
It’s quite possible that President Trump may change that agenda, of course.
After their meeting they will travel on together to a private engagement in Aberdeen.
The UK and the US have ‘one of the closest, most productive alliances the world has ever seen’, working together to cooperate on defence, intelligence, technology and trade.
The UK was the first country to agree a deal with the US that lowered tariffs on key sectors and has received one of the lowest reciprocal tariff rates in the world.
Businesses in the aerospace and autos sectors are already benefitting from the ‘strong relationship the UK has with the US’ and the deal agreed on 8 May.
The Government says it is ‘working at pace with the US to go further to deliver benefits to working people on both sides of the Atlantic and to give UK industry the security it needs, protect vital jobs, and put more money in people’s pockets through the Plan for Change’.
Foreign Secretary David Lammy made a statement to parliament on the Middle East yesterday:
With permission, Mr Deputy Speaker, I would like to make a statement on the Middle East.
I’ll begin on Syria.
We have been horrified by the recent violence in the south, including civilian deaths.
Clashes between Druze and Bedouin militias have quickly escalated into intense fighting between government forces and further Israeli strikes on the Syrian military.
As I said directly to Foreign Minister Shaibani we want to see the fighting ended, civilians protected and the rights of all Syrians upheld.
The violence in Suwayda must be investigated and those responsible held accountable.
We want humanitarian access to be restored, aid delivered and Syria’s sovereignty must be respected.
The UK can be proud of our support to the Syrian people over many, many years.
And a stable Syria matters to the UK’s national interest, for terrorism, for irregular migration, for regional stability.
We must work to prevent extremism, sectarianism or lawlessness taking hold now that Assad is gone.
That’s why we are backing a sustainable ceasefire and that is why we support an inclusive transition.
And that’s why I visited Damascus recently to support and to press the new government to meet its commitments.
I will now turn to the situation in the Occupied Palestinian Territories.
It’s two and a half months since Prime Minister Netanyahu restarted offensive operations.
The IDF has driven Palestinians out of 86 per cent of Gaza, leaving around two million people trapped in an area scarcely over twenty square miles.
Whatever this Israeli government might claim, repeated displacement of so many civilians is not keeping them safe. In fact, it’s quite the reverse.
Mr Deputy Speaker, the new Israeli aid system is inhumane, it’s dangerous and it deprives Gazans of human dignity.
It contradicts long-stablished humanitarian principles. It creates disorder Hamas is exploiting with distribution points reduced from 400 to just four.
It forces desperate civilians, children among them, to scramble unsafely for the essentials of life.
It’s a grotesque spectacle, wreaking a terrible human cost.
Almost 1000 civilians have been killed since May seeking aid, including 100 over this weekend alone.
There are near daily reports of Israeli troops opening fire on people trying to access food.
Israeli jets have hit women and children waiting for a health clinic to open.
An Israeli drone has struck down children filling water containers which Israeli officials blamed on a ‘technical error’.
Hamas is contributing to the chaos and taking advantage of it.
I utterly condemn the killing of civilians seeking to meet their most basic needs.
The Israeli government must answer:
What possible military justification can there be for strikes that have killed desperate, starving children?
What immediate actions are they taking to stop this litany of horrors?
What will they do to hold those responsible to account?
Mr Deputy Speaker, I have said before I am a steadfast supporter of Israel’s security and right to exist.
I treasure the many connections between our peoples
And the horrors of October 7th must never be forgotten.
But I firmly believe the Israeli government’s actions are doing untold damage to Israel’s standing in the world and undermining Israel’s long-term security.
Netanyahu should listen to the Israeli people, 82 per cent of whom desperately want a ceasefire.
And to the hostages’ families because they know it offers the best chance to bring their loved ones home.
Those hostages may be hidden in cramped tunnels under the ruins of Gaza but we will not forget them or Hamas’s despicable actions and we will continue to demand their unconditional release.
This offensive puts them in grave danger.
But still Netanyahu persists.
Indeed, Minister Katz has gone further proposing to drive Gaza’s entire population into Rafah, imprisoning Palestinians, unless persuaded to emigrate.
Mr Deputy Speaker, this is a cruel vision which must never come to pass.
I condemn it unequivocally.
Permanent forced displacement is a violation of international humanitarian law.
Many Israelis themselves are appalled.
A former Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak said ‘it marches us into the abyss’. He was right.
Mr Speaker, today I joined a joint statement by 25 Foreign Ministers with a simple, urgent message: the war in Gaza must end now.
There is no military solution.
Negotiations will secure the hostages.
Further bloodshed serves no purpose.
Hamas and Israel must both commit to a ceasefire now.
And the next ceasefire must be the last ceasefire.
I thank the US, Qatar, and Egypt for their tireless efforts.
And I am sure all Members share my intense frustration it has not happened.
Until there is such a breakthrough, we must keep doing all we can to relieve suffering.
UK aid has saved lives.
Reaching hundreds of thousands with food, water, hygiene, and sanitation, and essential healthcare.
And under the most appalling circumstances our aid is saving lives today.
That includes, the almost nine million pounds the UK has provided to UK-Med, since we entered office,
reaching half a million patients inside Gaza, 24,000 in the past fortnight alone.
Like 3-year old Razan.
UK-funded medics removed a bullet from her neck after nearly three hours of surgery.
These doctors and nurses working in the most extreme conditions are true heroes.
They deserve the thanks and admiration of the entire House.
We are also working, of course, multilaterally.
The 149 trucks from the World Food Programme and UNICEF entering Gaza in recent day included food supplies funded by the UK.
And thousands more trucks laden with aid paid for by British taxpayers can enter, the moment the Israeli government lets it.
Today, I am announcing an extra £40 million for humanitarian assistance in Gaza this year, including seven and a half million for UK-Med to sustain their vital operations in Gaza and save more lives.
Mr Deputy Speaker, accompanying the horrors in Gaza, there is an accelerating campaign to prevent a future Palestinian state in the West Bank.
It’s embraced by Netanyahu, it’s encouraged by his Ministers. It’s driven by an extremist ideology which wants to suffocate the two-state solution, the only route to a lasting peace and security.
We see it in the unprecedented pace of settlement expansion.
In the shocking levels of settler violence, even settler terrorism,
for that is what the most egregious ideological attacks are.
And in the deliberate attempts to squeeze the Palestinian Authority, unjustly denying it access to its own funds, and it harms Israel’s long-term interests.
Now, the Israeli government is reintroducing plans to construct new units in the E1 area of occupied east Jerusalem.
If built, this settlement would separate the West Bank’s north from its south and Palestinians in the West Bank from East Jerusalem.
These plans are wholly unacceptable.
They are illegal.
And they must not happen.
Mr Deputy Speaker, we are also striving to keep open the prospects of a two-state solution.
UK assistance has been preserving the Palestinian Authority, contributing to essential Palestinian workers’ salaries and supporting them to progress critical reforms.
Today, I can confirm we are enhancing our support, providing £7 million to strengthen the PA and Palestinian governance, implementing the agreement signed by myself and PM Mustafa earlier this year.
And we’re delivering the reform plans President Abbas has set out.
I can also confirm that we are providing £20 million to support UNRWA’s many services for Palestinian refugees.
And alongside this support, we are leading diplomatic efforts to show there must be a viable peaceful pathway to a Palestinian state, involving the PA, not Hamas, in security and governance of the area.
Hamas can have no role in the governance of Gaza nor use it as a launchpad for terrorism.
Israeli Ministers should support the PA – not actively undermine its economy, as Ministers Ben-Gvir and Smotrich are doing.
The UK is co-leading with Egypt the humanitarian and reconstruction track for the forthcoming Two-State Solution Conference.
And we are pushing to agree plans for a credible next phase in Gaza with a responsible, reformed PA at their core.
So we turn any temporary ceasefire into a lasting peace.
Mr Deputy Speaker, in our year in office, this Labour Government has acted to address this horrendous conflict.
We restored funding to UNRWA, after the Tories froze it.
We suspended arms export licenses, when the Tories declined to act.
We have provided nearly a quarter of a billion in humanitarian assistance, this year and next, getting medical treatment and food to hundreds of thousands of civilians in Gaza.
We have stood with the hostage families at every stage.
We’ve worked with Jordan to fly medicines into Gaza, with Egypt to treat medically evacuated civilians, with Kuwait and UNICEF to help children in Gaza.
We’ve delivered three sanctions packages on violent settlers, suspended trade negotiations with this Israeli government and sanctioned far-right Israeli Ministers for incitement.
We have defended the independence of international courts. We signed a landmark agreement with the Palestinian Authority, and hosted the Palestinian Prime Minister in London, pushing for the reform it needs.
We called for…
worked for…
and voted for…
an immediate ceasefire and the release of the hostages at every possible opportunity.
And we will keep doing so until this war is over, Hamas release the hostages and we finally have a pathway to a two-state solution.
I commend this statement to the House.
But while Lammy spoke, our country continues to supply Israel with weapons being used to slaughter innocent people in the Middle East.
TWO WEEKS? HE COULDN’T WAIT TWO DAYS TO ATTACK IRAN
The United States of America has bombed three nuclear sites in Iran.
The overnight attack by ‘our great American Warriors’ has been welcomed by Israel, who initiated the latest conflict with Iran last week.
US President Trump, without a trace of irony, is now calling for peace!
Also calling for peace, but perhaps with more sincerity, is the United Nations – which has once again been found to be impotent when faced with international agression by major military powers.
United Nations general secretary António Guterres said in a statement: “I am gravely alarmed by the use of force by the United States against Iran today. This is a dangerous escalation in a region already on the edge – and a direct threat to international peace and security.
“There is a growing risk that this conflict could rapidly get out of control – with catastrophic consequences for civilians, the region, and the world.
“I call on Member States to de-escalate and to uphold their obligations under the UN Charter and other rules of international law.
“At this perilous hour, it is critical to avoid a spiral of chaos.
“There is no military solution. The only path forward is diplomacy. The only hope is peace.”
Some US politicians have also expressed concern that Congress was not consulted over the agression.
Congresswoman Rashida Tlaib said on Twitter: “President Trump sending U.S. troops to bomb Iran without the consent of Congress is a blatant violation of our Constitution.“
World leaders, including Great Britain, with our so-called ‘special relationship’, will doubtless call for restraint and urge negotiations this morning, but let’s be honest: Trump, and by association Netanyahu, will do exactly what he wants. And who can stop him?
Predictably, the UK did not condemn the actions of the US.
Prime Minister Keir Starmer issued this short statement: “Iran’s nuclear programme is a grave threat to international security. Iran can never be allowed to develop a nuclear weapon and the US has taken action to alleviate that threat.
“The situation in the Middle East remains volatile and stability in the region is a priority. We call on Iran to return to the negotiating table and reach a diplomatic solution to end this crisis.”
UK sanctions individuals, illegal settler outposts and organisations supporting violence against Palestinian communities in the West Bank, as Foreign Secretary pauses free trade agreement negotiations with Israel.
new sanctions target 3 individuals, 2 illegal settler outposts and 2 organisations supporting violence against Palestinian communities in the West Bank
today’s measures include financial restrictions and travel bans, including on high-profile extremist settler leader Daniella Weiss
in a statement to the House, the Foreign Secretary is set to announce a formal pause of free trade agreement negotiations with Israel, effective immediately
he will make clear the UK’s complete opposition to the IDF’s new, extensive ground operation through Gaza, repeat UK demands that Hamas release all the hostages immediately and unconditionally, and reiterate that Hamas cannot continue to run Gaza
In response to the persistent cycle of serious violence undertaken by extremist Israeli settlers in the occupied West Bank, the Foreign Secretary has announced new sanctions today.
Today’s measures target 3 individuals, including prominent settler leader Daniella Weiss, as well as 2 illegal outposts and 2 organisations that have supported, incited and promoted violence against Palestinian communities in the West Bank.
These individuals and entities are now subject to measures including financial restrictions, travel bans, and director disqualifications, and will follow 18 other individuals, entities, and companies already sanctioned relating to serious violence against communities in the West Bank.
The measures follow a dramatic surge in settler violence in the West Bank, with the UN recording over 1,800 attacks by settlers against Palestinian communities since 1 January 2024.
In a statement to Parliament, the Foreign Secretary is also set to announce the formal pause of free trade agreement negotiations with Israel, effective immediately. While the UK government remains committed to the existing trade agreement in force, it is not possible to advance discussions on a new, upgraded FTA with a Netanyahu government that is pursuing egregious policies in the West Bank and Gaza.
His statement will address latest developments on the ground in Gaza, making clear the UK’s complete opposition to the IDF’s new, extensive ground operation through Gaza, the threat of starvation for the Gazan population, and the UK’s condemnation of the Israeli government’s plans to drive Gazans from their homes into a corner of the Strip. The Foreign Secretary will also repeat UK demands that Hamas release all the hostages immediately and unconditionally and reiterate that Hamas cannot continue to run Gaza.
The new steps follow a joint statement issued by the Prime Minister along with the leaders of France and Canada, setting out their strong opposition to the expansion of Israel’s military operations in Gaza and to illegal settlements in the West Bank. They also made clear that if Israel does not cease this action, further action will be taken in response.
Foreign Secretary David Lammy said: “I have seen for myself the consequences of settler violence. The fear of its victims. The impunity of its perpetrators.
“The sanctioning of Daniella Weiss and others today demonstrates our determination to hold extremist settlers to account as Palestinian communities suffer violence and intimidation at the hands of extremist settlers.
“The Israeli government has a responsibility to intervene and halt these aggressive actions. Their consistent failure to act is putting Palestinian communities and the two-state solution in peril.”
The announcement comes as Minister for the Middle East Hamish Falconer summons Israel’s Ambassador Tzipi Hotovely to the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office over the expansion of military operations in Gaza.
Minister for the Middle East Hamish Falconer said: “Today I will set out to Ambassador Hotovely the government’s opposition to the wholly disproportionate escalation of military activity in Gaza and emphasise that the 11-week block on aid to Gaza has been cruel and indefensible.
“I will urge Israel to halt settlement expansion and settler violence in the West Bank.
“Israel must abide by its obligations under International Humanitarian Law and ensure full, rapid, safe and unhindered provision of humanitarian assistance to the population in Gaza. The limited amount of aid entering is simply not enough.
“We must get an immediate ceasefire and the release of all hostages and a path to a two-state solution is the only way to ensure the long-term peace and security of both Palestinians and Israelis.”
Individuals and entities sanctioned today:
Daniella Weiss – has been involved in threatening, perpetrating, promoting and supporting, acts of aggression and violence against Palestinian individuals. Weiss is now subject to an asset freeze, travel ban, and director disqualification
Harel Libi – owner of Libi Construction and Infrastructure. Libi has been involved in threatening and perpetuating acts of aggression and violence against Palestinian individuals. Libi is now subject to an asset freeze, travel ban, and director disqualification
Zohar Sabah – has been involved in threatening, perpetrating, promoting and supporting, acts of aggression and violence against Palestinian individuals. Sabah is now subject to an asset freeze, travel ban, and director disqualification
Coco’s Farm – is associated with a person who is or has been involved in activity which amounts to facilitating, inciting, promoting or providing support for activity which amounts to a serious abuse of the right of individuals not to be subjected to cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment. Coco’s Farm is now subject to an asset freeze
Libi Construction and Infrastructure – has provided logistical and financial support for the establishment of illegal outposts resulting in the forced displacement of Palestinians in Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territories, activities which cause the psychological suffering of Palestinians, and activities which often leads to violence perpetrated against Palestinians. Libi Construction and Infrastructure is now subject to an asset freeze and director disqualification
Nachala – has been involved in facilitating, inciting, promoting and providing logistical and financial support for the establishment of illegal outposts and forced displacement of Palestinians in Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territories, activities which cause the psychological suffering of Palestinians, and which often lead to violence perpetrated against Palestinians. Nachala is now subject to an asset freeze
Neria’s Farm – is associated with a person who is or has been involved in activity which amounts to facilitating, inciting, promoting or providing support for activity which amounts to a serious abuse of the right of individuals not to be subjected to cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment. Neria’s Farm is now subject to an asset freeze
Definitions
asset freeze: where an asset freeze applies, in summary, it is generally prohibited within the UK, and for UK persons outside the UK, to:
Deal with funds or economic resources, owned, held or controlled by a designated person
Make funds or economic resources available, directly or indirectly, to, or for the benefit of, a designated person
Engage in actions that, directly or indirectly, circumvent the financial sanctions prohibitions
director disqualification sanctions: Where director disqualification sanctions apply, it will be an offence for a person designated for the purpose of those sanctions to act as a director of a company or to take part in the management, formation or promotion of a UK company
travel ban: an individual subject to a travel ban will be an excluded person under section 8B of the Immigration Act 1971, meaning that they must be refused leave to enter or to remain in the United Kingdom
First Minister announces boost for humanitarian aid
First Minister John Swinney has announced an additional £300,000 funding will be provided to support humanitarian aid efforts in the Middle East through the Disasters Emergency Committee (DEC) Appeal and Scottish charities, SCIAF and Mercy Corps.
This funding, delivered through the Scottish Government’s Humanitarian Emergency Fund programme, will help provide urgent assistance to those affected by the ongoing conflict, including food, clean water, medical care, and shelter for displaced individuals in Gaza, the West Bank, Lebanon and Syria.
The announcement was made by the First Minister during a parliamentary debate on the international situation in which he also called for Scotland to champion the benefits of international trade, cooperation, and solidarity during this period of international turbulence.
The First Minister said: “I’m pleased to announce a contribution of £240,000 through our Humanitarian Emergency Fund to the Disasters Emergency Committee’s appeal for the Middle East, along with £30,000 each for Scottish charities, SCIAF and Mercy Corps for their responses in Lebanon and Syria.
“This is in addition to the £250,000 that we provided to this appeal last November and comes at a time when humanitarian needs continue to increase across Gaza, the West Bank, Lebanon and Syria.
“I believe that wherever we can, we do what is within our power to de-escalate and support recovery from disaster and conflict in our deeply interconnected world.
“Investing in the wellbeing of the international community is also an investment in our national wellbeing and security and I make no apology for doing so in these turbulent times.”
The First Minister added: “At a time when the US, the UK and other donors have slashed their aid budgets, we in Scotland are committed to continuing to support our Global South partner countries, and more widely to responding to humanitarian emergencies globally.
“Though we recognise the amounts Scotland contributes may be small in the face of growing need, we will do all we can to ensure it has maximum impact. Scotland will continue to act as a good global citizen.”
DEC spokesperson Huw Owen said: “This additional donation to the DEC Middle East Humanitarian Appeal from the Scottish Government through its Humanitarian Emergency fund is hugely welcome.
“The Appeal has now raised close to £4 million here in Scotland, over £45 million UK wide, which also includes many generous individual donations from the public. We are hugely grateful for this support.
“It will bolster DEC charities and their expert local partners’ continuing efforts in Gaza and the wider region, working in incredibly challenging circumstances, to reach the most affected communities with medical care, food and clean water as well as psychological support for traumatised children and their families.”
Humanitarian needs across the Middle East continue to escalate, with nearly half of the population of Gaza facing emergency levels of food insecurity and water, shelter and medicine in desperately short supply. By providing this funding, the DEC and its member charities can ensure that when the current blockade of Gaza is finally lifted, those needs can be addressed without delay.
The DEC appeal for the Middle East launched on 17 October 2024 and the Scottish Government’s previous contribution of £250,000 supported DEC and partner organisations in delivering humanitarian aid across the region.
Since the appeal’s launch, generous donations from the public have helped deliver lifesaving assistance, and further contributions remain essential to sustain these efforts.
Joint Statement on behalf of the Foreign Ministers of France, Germany, Italy and the UK
“We, the Foreign Ministers of France, Germany, Italy and the United Kingdom welcome the Arab initiative of a Recovery and Reconstruction Plan for Gaza.
The plan shows a realistic path to the reconstruction of Gaza and promises – if implemented – swift and sustainable improvement of the catastrophic living conditions for the Palestinians living in Gaza.
Recovery and reconstruction efforts must be based upon a solid political and security framework acceptable to both Israelis and Palestinians, which provides long term peace and security for both Israelis and Palestinians alike.
We are clear that Hamas must neither govern Gaza nor be a threat to Israel any more. We explicitly support the central role for the Palestinian Authority and the implementation of its reform agenda.
We commend the serious efforts of all involved stakeholders and appreciate the important signal the Arab states have sent by jointly developing this recovery and reconstruction plan.
We are committed to working with the Arab initiative, the Palestinians and Israel to address those issues together, including security and governance.
We urge all parties to build on the plan’s merits as a starting point.
