Latest news with #humanitarianAccess
Asharq Al-Awsat
29-05-2025
- Business
- Asharq Al-Awsat
Dua Lipa, Public Figures Urge UK to End Israel Arms Sales
Pop star Dua Lipa joined some 300 UK celebrities in signing an open letter Thursday urging Britain to halt arms sales to Israel, after similar pleas from lawyers and writers. Actors, musicians, activists and other public figures wrote the letter calling on Prime Minister Keir Starmer to "end the UK's complicity in the horrors in Gaza". British-Albanian pop sensation Dua Lipa has been vocal about the war in Gaza and last year criticized Israel's offensive as a "genocide". Israel has repeatedly denied allegations of genocide and says its campaign intends to crush Hamas following the deadly October 2023 attack by the Palestinian fighters. Other signatories include actors Benedict Cumberbatch, Tilda Swinton and Riz Ahmed, and musicians Paloma Faith, Annie Lennox and Massive Attack. "You can't call it 'intolerable' and keep sending arms," read the letter to Labour leader Starmer organized by Choose Love, a UK-based humanitarian aid and refugee advocacy charity. Sports broadcaster Gary Lineker, who stepped down from his role at the BBC after a social media post that contained anti-Semitic imagery, also signed the letter. Signatories urged the UK to ensure "full humanitarian access across Gaza", broker an "immediate and permanent ceasefire", and "immediately suspend" all arms sales to Israel. "The children of Gaza cannot wait another minute. Prime Minister, what will you choose? Complicity in war crimes, or the courage to act?", the letter continued. Earlier this month, Starmer slammed Israel's "egregious" renewed military offensive in Gaza and promised to take "further concrete actions" if it did not stop -- without detailing what the actions could be. Last September the UK government suspended 30 out of 350 arms export licenses to Israel, saying there was a "clear risk" they could be used to breach humanitarian law. Global outrage has grown after Israel ended a ceasefire in March and stepped up military operations this month, killing thousands of people in a span of two months according to figures by the Hamas-run health ministry. The humanitarian situation has also sparked alarm and fears of starvation after a two-month blockade on aid entering the devastated territory. Over 800 UK lawyers including Supreme Court justices, and some 380 British and Irish writers warned of Israel committing a "genocide" in Gaza in open letters this week. Hamas killed 1,218 people, mostly civilians, in their October 2023 attack on Israel, according to an AFP tally based on official figures. Fighters also took 251 hostages, 57 of whom remain in Gaza, including 34 who the Israeli military says are dead. Israel's military offensive launched in response has killed 54,084, mostly civilians, in Gaza according to its health ministry, displaced nearly the entire population and ravaged swathes of the besieged strip.
Asharq Al-Awsat
26-05-2025
- Politics
- Asharq Al-Awsat
Madrid Group Meets to Push for Two-State Solution
Spain's capital hosted a high-level meeting on Sunday that brought together Arab and European foreign ministers in a renewed push to support a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. The summit, convened under the so-called 'Madrid Group,' aimed to pressure Israel to halt its military campaign in Gaza, ensure unrestricted humanitarian access to the besieged enclave, and revive efforts toward the long-stalled two-state solution. Countries attending the conference included Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Türkiye, Morocco, Jordan, Qatar, Bahrain, and members of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation. Also taking part was the State of Palestine, which Spain formally recognized last year, a move other European countries, including France, are expected to follow as early as next month. The meeting also gathered foreign ministers from major European nations such as Germany, France, Italy, Ireland, Portugal, Norway, Iceland, Slovenia, and Malta. Brazil's foreign minister attended as well, saying upon arrival in Madrid that he was carrying a message from President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva in support of efforts to achieve a two-state solution. On his part, Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez intensified diplomatic efforts in recent weeks ahead of Sunday's landmark meeting in Madrid, which for the first time brings together major European and Islamic countries under the 'Madrid Group' umbrella to deliver a strong message of support for a two-state solution and increase pressure on Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Netanyahu and members of his government have lashed out at European leaders in recent days, accusing them of inciting violence against Jews following the killing of two Israeli embassy staff in Washington last week. France condemned Netanyahu's comments as 'outrageous.' Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan arrived in Madrid on Saturday to take part in the expanded ministerial gathering on Gaza and the Madrid Group's wider efforts to address the situation in the Palestinian territories and push for an international ceasefire. In a statement, the Saudi Foreign Ministry said the talks will focus on the situation in Gaza and the West Bank, international efforts to end the war, and the urgent need to alleviate the humanitarian crisis in the enclave. The meeting will also discuss preparations for a high-level international conference on the two-state solution, scheduled to take place at the United Nations headquarters in New York next month, co-chaired by Saudi Arabia and France, it added. Earlier, the ministry said the ministerial committee formed by the Arab-Islamic summit on Gaza - headed by Prince Faisal and including Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty and Jordanian Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi - met with French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot to discuss global efforts to halt the Israeli military campaign. Abdelatty traveled to Madrid on Sunday to join the expanded ministerial meeting. Egypt's Foreign Ministry said in a statement that discussions will cover international efforts to end the war in Gaza, the deepening humanitarian crisis, and ways to ensure access for humanitarian aid. The talks will also explore building global support for recognizing Palestinian statehood and implementing the two-state solution as the only viable path to lasting peace in the Middle East. Sources familiar with the talks told Asharq Al-Awsat that Madrid, in parallel with its diplomatic push, is seeking to deliver humanitarian and food aid to Gaza by air or by establishing an 'EU-supervised humanitarian camp' in Rafah on the Egyptian border, proposals that continue to face resistance from Israel. Spain, which officially recognized the State of Palestine last year, is also working to submit a draft resolution to the United Nations General Assembly calling on the International Court of Justice to mandate Israel to allow unrestricted aid entry into Gaza.
