The call for a ceasefire, but “only if it is sustainable”, would mean a change in tone from the British government, which has so far defended occasional “humanitarian pauses” to allow aid into Gaza.
In the speech, David Cameron and the head of German diplomacy, Annalena Baerbach, said that although they represent “very different political traditions” – he is conservative and she is green – they share a desire to improve things and a “desire for peace, in the Middle East and in the rest of the world”.
Unlike others, they do not believe that “calling now for a general and immediate cease-fire, in the hope of making it permanent, is the way forward.”
It ignores the fact that Israel was “forced to defend itself after the October 7 attack” by Hamas and that the Islamist group “continues to fire missiles to kill Israeli civilians every day.” “Hamas must lay down its weapons,” they say.
They argue that “an unsustainable ceasefire will quickly lead to more violence, making it more difficult to build the trust necessary for peace.”
The two politicians claim that “only extremists like Hamas are willing to sacrifice their own interests and get stuck in an endless cycle of violence”.
“There cannot be an end to the present fighting”, they insist, but “a peace that will last for days, years and generations”.
“Therefore, we support a ceasefire, but only if it is sustainable”, they add.
The ministers called on Hamas to immediately release the hostages and warned that leaving them in Gaza would be a “permanent obstacle to the (Israeli and Palestinian) path to a two-state solution.”
Cameron and Baerbach highlight three areas of action: First, they recognize Israel’s right to defend itself, but “in doing so, must respect international humanitarian law” because “too many civilians have already been killed”.
Second, “more aid should be provided to the Palestinians” and finally, the international community, especially the Arab states, should work toward a solution that “provides long-term security for both peoples.”
In this sense, they call for an end to the violence of “extremist settlers in the West Bank” who are “trying to sabotage these efforts”, while they feel that the Palestinians need a group of leaders. The government they deserve”.
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