Pro-Palestinian supporters chant slogans and hold placards as they rally in front of the Foreign & Commonwealth Office, in central London. AFP
The statement was signed by foreign ministers of Australia, Austria, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, The Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland and the UK and the EU Commissioner for Equality, Preparedness and Crisis Management.
In the statement released Monday, the signatories declared that “the suffering of civilians in Gaza has reached new depths” and described Israel’s approach to aid as dangerous and destabilising.
“We condemn the drip feeding of aid and the inhumane killing of civilians, including children, seeking to meet their most basic needs of water and food,” the statement said.
“It is horrifying that over 800 Palestinians have been killed while seeking aid.”
The signatories said Israel’s obstruction of humanitarian access constitutes a violation of international law and demanded the immediate lifting of restrictions to allow the UN and aid groups to operate safely.
They also condemned Israel’s proposal to forcibly concentrate displaced Palestinians into a so-called “humanitarian city,” calling the idea “completely unacceptable.”
“Permanent forced displacement is a violation of international humanitarian law,” the statement read.
The Western foreign ministers denounced continued Israeli settlement expansion across the West Bank and East Jerusalem, highlighting the controversial E1 plan near Jerusalem, which they said “would divide a Palestinian state in two” and represent “a flagrant breach of international law.”
The statement reaffirmed opposition to any steps aimed at changing the territorial or demographic status of the occupied territories. It also cited a sharp rise in settler violence against Palestinians, saying this must stop.
On the issue of hostages, the signatories condemned Hamas’s continued captivity of Israeli detainees and called for their immediate and unconditional release.
“A negotiated ceasefire offers the best hope of bringing them home and ending the agony of their families,” they said.
The statement expressed strong support for ongoing ceasefire efforts led by the US, Qatar, and Egypt, and warned that “further bloodshed serves no purpose.”
It concluded by signalling a willingness to “take further action” in support of a political resolution to the conflict and a ceasefire that is "immediate, unconditional and permanent.”
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