Deputy FM receives outgoing envoys
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Western Telegraph
16 minutes ago
- Western Telegraph
Starmer to convene urgent Cabinet meeting on Gaza to set out pathway to peace
The Prime Minister will call senior ministers in during the summer recess for the meeting on Gaza on Tuesday afternoon, the PA news agency understands. Sir Keir shared plans he is working on with France and Germany to 'bring about a lasting peace' with US President Donald Trump when they met in Scotland, Downing Street said. And he plans to share details with Arab states and other key allies in the coming days. Sir Keir is facing mounting calls to recognise Palestinian statehood immediately. The Prime Minister's official spokesman said: 'This week, the Prime Minister is focused on a pathway to peace to ensure immediate relief for those on the ground, and a sustainable route to a two-state solution. 'We are clear that the recognition of the Palestinian state is a matter of when, not if, but it must be one of the steps on the path to a two-state solution as part of a wider plan that delivers lasting security for both Palestinians and Israelis.' Amid international alarm over starvation in Gaza, Israel announced at the weekend that it would suspend fighting in three areas for 10 hours a day and open secure routes for aid delivery. The UK confirmed it was taking part in airdrops of aid into the territory. Aid agencies have welcomed the new measures but said they were not enough to counter the rising hunger in the Palestinian territory. Sir Keir said that the British public is 'revolted' at the scenes of desperation in Gaza as he appeared alongside Mr Trump at his Turnberry golf course on Monday. 'It's a humanitarian crisis, it's an absolute catastrophe. 'Nobody wants to see that. I think people in Britain are revolted at seeing what they're seeing on their screens, so we've got to get to that ceasefire.' The US president hinted at sticking points in US-led negotiations over a peace deal, saying Palestinian militant group Hamas had become 'very difficult to deal with' in recent weeks. He suggested this was because they only held a small remaining number of Israeli hostages. Sir Keir has likened the plan he is working on with France and Germany to the coalition of the willing, the international effort to support Ukraine towards a lasting peace. Humanitarian aid is airdropped to Palestinians over the central Gaza Strip as seen from Khan Younis (Abdel Kareem Hana/AP) The Prime Minister's official spokesman said the plan would build 'on the collaboration to date that paves the way to a long-term solution on security in the region'. Sir Keir is meanwhile facing calls from a growing number of MPs to recognise a Palestinian state immediately. More than 250 cross-party MPs have now signed a letter calling for ministers to take the step, up from 221 on Friday. Business Secretary Jonathan Reynolds on Monday dismissed the idea that there is a split at the top of Government over when to recognise a Palestinian state, saying 'we all want it to happen'. Health Secretary Wes Streeting is among those to have signalled a desire for hastened action, calling for recognition 'while there's still a state of Palestine left to recognise', while Justice Secretary Shabana Mahmood said the Government wants to recognise a Palestinian state 'in contribution to a peace process'.
The Herald Scotland
21 minutes ago
- The Herald Scotland
Starmer to convene urgent Cabinet meeting on Gaza to set out pathway to peace
Sir Keir shared plans he is working on with France and Germany to 'bring about a lasting peace' with US President Donald Trump when they met in Scotland, Downing Street said. And he plans to share details with Arab states and other key allies in the coming days. Sir Keir is facing mounting calls to recognise Palestinian statehood immediately. The Prime Minister's official spokesman said: 'This week, the Prime Minister is focused on a pathway to peace to ensure immediate relief for those on the ground, and a sustainable route to a two-state solution. 'We are clear that the recognition of the Palestinian state is a matter of when, not if, but it must be one of the steps on the path to a two-state solution as part of a wider plan that delivers lasting security for both Palestinians and Israelis.' Amid international alarm over starvation in Gaza, Israel announced at the weekend that it would suspend fighting in three areas for 10 hours a day and open secure routes for aid delivery. The UK confirmed it was taking part in airdrops of aid into the territory. Aid agencies have welcomed the new measures but said they were not enough to counter the rising hunger in the Palestinian territory. Sir Keir said that the British public is 'revolted' at the scenes of desperation in Gaza as he appeared alongside Mr Trump at his Turnberry golf course on Monday. 'It's a humanitarian crisis, it's an absolute catastrophe. 'Nobody wants to see that. I think people in Britain are revolted at seeing what they're seeing on their screens, so we've got to get to that ceasefire.' The US president hinted at sticking points in US-led negotiations over a peace deal, saying Palestinian militant group Hamas had become 'very difficult to deal with' in recent weeks. He suggested this was because they only held a small remaining number of Israeli hostages. Sir Keir has likened the plan he is working on with France and Germany to the coalition of the willing, the international effort to support Ukraine towards a lasting peace. Humanitarian aid is airdropped to Palestinians over the central Gaza Strip as seen from Khan Younis (Abdel Kareem Hana/AP) The Prime Minister's official spokesman said the plan would build 'on the collaboration to date that paves the way to a long-term solution on security in the region'. Sir Keir is meanwhile facing calls from a growing number of MPs to recognise a Palestinian state immediately. More than 250 cross-party MPs have now signed a letter calling for ministers to take the step, up from 221 on Friday. Business Secretary Jonathan Reynolds on Monday dismissed the idea that there is a split at the top of Government over when to recognise a Palestinian state, saying 'we all want it to happen'. Health Secretary Wes Streeting is among those to have signalled a desire for hastened action, calling for recognition 'while there's still a state of Palestine left to recognise', while Justice Secretary Shabana Mahmood said the Government wants to recognise a Palestinian state 'in contribution to a peace process'.
L'Orient-Le Jour
an hour ago
- L'Orient-Le Jour
Derian and Sunni religious leaders visit Joumblatt
BEIRUT — Former leader of the Progressive Socialist Party (PSP), Walid Joumblatt, on Monday received the grand mufti of the Republic, Sheikh Abdel Latif Derian, who was accompanied by a delegation from Dar al-Fatwa at his home in Beirut's Clemenceau district. The head of the Lebanese Democratic Party, Talal Arslane, and other Sunni muftis from Lebanese regions were also present at the meeting, after which Sheikh Derian stated that it was "friendly and constructive" and that others would follow, according to the state-run National News Agency (NNA.) This meeting between the Druze leader and the highest representative of Sunni Islam in Lebanon comes amid recent sectarian tensions that have led to clashes between Druze factions and Sunni Bedouin tribes, backed by forces of the Damascus government, which left more than 1,200 people dead in a week in the Sweida region of southern Syria. This latest episode of sectarian violence in the neighboring country had raised fears that these tensions could spill over into Lebanon. In a joint statement issued following their meeting, the participants reaffirmed their commitment to 'national and Islamic unity in the face of those who seek to harm Lebanon and sisterly Syria,' and rejected 'any attempt to sow discord.' They condemned the 'bloody clashes between Syrian brothers in the Sweida region,' calling them 'unacceptable and deplorable,' and expressed sorrow for 'the martyrs who fell during these painful events.' The signatories called on 'all Lebanese forces to work toward strengthening the state, its people, and its institutions, to unite in efforts to revive the state so that it can fully fulfill its unifying role, and to come together in confronting the Zionist aggression that targets Lebanon, Syria, and other Arab countries, in pursuit of its hostile goals and sectarian, ethnic, and confessional agendas, which serve only the enemies of our countries, societies, and Arab and Islamic nation.' They also praised the 'wise and patriotic positions of all Lebanese parties that have called for Syrian unity, the prevention of internal conflict, and the preservation of Syria's territorial integrity, with the same concern they express for Lebanon — its people, state, and institutions.' Finally, the statement emphasized the importance of 'Lebanon's sovereignty, freedom, Arab identity, and independence, as well as its cooperation with all fellow Arab nations and friendly states committed to Lebanon, its people, and its civilizational role in the region.'
