At today’s statement from the Prime Minister on the ceasefire between Israel and Hamas, Labour MPs pushed the government for greater support for peacebuilding between Israelis and Palestinians to ensure future peace.
Uxbridge and South Ruislip MP Danny Beales asked: “I welcome the Prime Minister’s statement, which we all hope will bring an end to two years of awful bloodshed. I visited Israel and Palestine one month before 7 October and met civil society organisations working on a cross-community basis. It struck me how vital they will be in building a potential future long-term peace, but they lack funding and they lack legitimacy and support in Israel and in Palestine. What thought and consideration has the Prime Minister given to the UK’s role in an international peace fund, similar to the Northern Ireland peace fund, which could fund civil society organisations working cross-community to support leaders of the future, to build peacemakers and to start to heal the rifts?”
To which the Prime Minister replied: “I thank my hon. Friend for touching on this point. One of the great tragedies of what happened on 7 October was that that cross-community work—particularly involving the next generation in Israel and Palestine, trying to ensure that they would have a better future and could take things forward—fell away, as did some of the interfaith work in this country, which we all thought was stronger and more robust than it turned out to be. We must do all we can to restore that work and build on it, because it is essential as we go forward.”
Later, Jonathan Davies MP asked: “The world held its breath over the past few days as a glimmer of hope was on the horizon. I thank the Prime Minister, Ministers, the Government and British officials for the progress that they have made with the United States to bring about this progress. Peace will be embedded and sustained only if it is built with ordinary people—Palestinians and Israelis—who yearn for peace, so what steps is the Prime Minister taking to ensure that that happens?”
To which the Prime Minister replied: “It is important to involve Israelis and Palestinians across the board, from all communities, in the physical rebuilding as well as the rebuilding of the relationships that were in place just over two years ago, which held at least the prospect of a better future for the next generation. We need to rebuild that on all fronts.”
You can read the full debate here.
