The United Kingdom has issued a proposition of a five-point plan that they believe will end the war between Israel and Hamas, the Financial Times reported on Saturday.
UK Foreign Secretary David Cameron discussed this initiative with Israeli and Palestinian leaders while he was touring the region this week, the report said. Cameron called for an “immediate pause in hostilities.”
The halt in the fighting would eventually lead to the release of the hostages in Gaza and then negotiate the permanent ceasefire, a UK official said, who also said, “What we’re trying to do is cement the idea that when you get this pause, you’ve got to work hard to turn it into a lasting ceasefire and to really focus on the realistic and achievable things that could actually make a ceasefire permanent and sustainable.
“I think there is a growing consensus in the international community that a hostage deal and a pause are the keys for unlocking the chance of a permanent ceasefire,” the official continued. “And that you have to have a much clearer political horizon for a Palestinian state: a new Palestinian government for the West Bank and Gaza, and that Hamas must never again be able to attack Israel.”
Establishing a “political horizon”
The UK’s “five-point plan” proposes to establish a “political horizon” for the establishment of a Palestinian state and the formation of a Palestinian government that would govern the West Bank and Gaza Strip after the war, the Times reported. However, the plan notes that Hamas would be required to release the hostages and stop attacks against Israel for it to work. This includes expelling Hamas’s leaders from the Gaza Strip – most notably Yahya Sinwar, who orchestrated the October 7 massacre.
The plan has already been shared by the UK with Arab, US, and European governments, the Times noted.
However, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ruled out any moves toward the creation of a Palestinian state or working with the Palestinian Authority, as well as rejected any permanent ceasefire as part of a hostage deal.
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