Scenes of starving people in Gaza are “deplorable”, Chancellor Rachel Reeves has said.
In recent days, multiple images have come from the territory of people – including children – visibly starving, along with reports of Israeli military attacks on those seeking to access aid.
The UK Government has resisted calls to immediately recognise Palestinian statehood despite pressure being ramped up by France becoming the first G7 country to do so.
Speaking to journalists on a visit to a Rolls Royce factory near Glasgow, Ms Reeves said the immediate priority for the UK Government would be to ensure enough aid is allowed in to Gaza.
“We believe that a two-state solution is the only way to having enduring peace in the Middle East – a safe and secure Israel alongside a viable and peaceful Palestinian state,” she said.
“The immediate priority, though, is to get aid in.
“We’ve all seen the scenes unfolding in Gaza, it is incredibly depressing and deplorable what is happening there.
“And to avoid a further humanitarian crisis, we must get that food, those medical supplies and aid in to Gaza.”
The Chancellor added that the Prime Minister was meeting European leaders about the issue on Friday.
“Prime Minister Starmer will be talking to the Chancellor of Germany and the President of France later today to see what more we can do to get that much-needed aid in to the country.”
But Scottish First Minister John Swinney urged the UK Government to recognise Palestine, saying he believed it to be the only way to work towards a two-state solution in the region.
“I’ve been calling for the recognition of Palestine as a sovereign, independent state since the general election campaign last year because it is, for me, the only way in which there can be movement towards a two-state solution, which is the only way there can be peace in the Middle East,” he said.
The First Minister said he “very much welcomed” the move from President Emmanuel Macron, adding: “Anyone looking at the suffering of the people of Palestine at this particular moment, the horrendous suffering, the starvation that is going on within Palestine, must come to the conclusion that an immediate solution is required, which is a ceasefire and the flow of humanitarian aid.
“But the solution also is the movement towards a two-state solution, which involves the recognition of an independent Palestinian state.
“That is the route to peace in the Middle East, that’s what should be followed and that’s what I encourage the United Kingdom Government to do.”
