UAE and Arab partners important to post-war Gaza, Lammy says

UK Foreign Secretary emphasises need for two-state solution as Blinken backs push for ceasefire agreement

UK Foreign Secretary David Lammy says it is vital to speak to Arab states to find a solution to the regional crisis. EPA

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The UAE has demonstrated its commitment to post-war Gaza, UK Foreign Secretary David Lammy said, days after holding high-level talks in Abu Dhabi.

Mr Lammy was asked about the role the UAE and other regional powers could play in the future of the enclave, during a press conference in London with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken. The UAE previously said there was a need for a temporary international mission in Gaza after the conflict to establish law and order.

Mr Lammy visited the Emirates last week and held discussions with Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs, on the latest developments in the region. The Foreign Secretary emphasised it was “important to speak to Arab partners across the region”.

But he said “the security guarantees that are important for Israel to have” would be key to the stability of Gaza after a ceasefire was agreed. “Arab partners and certainly the UAE are showing some forward-leaning in their commitment to securing that,” he added. “But what I think is absolutely essential is that there has to be a pathway to two states that has to be present or they cannot give that commitment.”

Mr Blinken denied that Gaza ceasefire talks were dead, stating that 90 per cent of the issues had been agreed on. The final steps to secure an agreement “were the hardest ground to cover”, he added.

It is understood that disagreement over control of the Salah Al Din corridor, also known as the Philadelphi corridor, along Gaza’s border with Egypt is a significant reason for the hold-up. “It is in the strong interest that everyone in the region has in being able to get the ceasefire concluded,” Mr Blinken said.

Mr Blinken has been heavily involved in efforts to push for a ceasefire. He acknowledged that all sides would benefit from a deal that would “turn down the temperature” in Gaza. “It's clearly in Israel's interest,” he said.

Mr Blinken issued some of his harshest criticism of Israel to date when he condemned the killing of American-Turkish dual citizen Aysenur Ezgi Eygi, 26, in the occupied West Bank on Friday last week. She was shot by Israeli forces.

“No one should be shot and killed for attending a protest,” he said. “In our judgment, Israeli security forces need to make some fundamental changes in the way that they operate in the West Bank, including changes to their rules of engagement.

After an initially measured response to her death, Mr Blinken said the US would raise the incident with Israel. An investigation and accounts from witnesses make clear “her killing was both unprovoked and unjustified”, he added.