The new British Minister for Foreign Affairs, David Cameron, arrived in Israel yesterday for a visit that included a trip to Kibbutz Beeri, attacked by Hamas on October 7
“I wanted to come here to see for myself the horrific nature of the attacks,” Cameron said in statements published by Israeli media.
According to the same news, Cameron will visit the kibbutz (socialist-inspired Jewish village) together with his Israeli counterpart, Eli Cohen.
On the other hand, according to a statement from the British Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the former conservative prime minister, who joined the London government last week, will meet with “Israeli and Palestinian leaders” during his visit to the region. .
Cameron’s visit to Israel comes at a time when an agreement between Israel and Hamas for a temporary truce in the Gaza conflict must be implemented, with a view to an exchange of hostages held by the movement that governs Gaza, for Palestinian prisoners in Israeli prisons .
The truce should have come into force yesterday, but was postponed, according to Israel, until Friday. Minister Cohen thanked the British Minister for Foreign Affairs for his support for Israel and London’s commitment to the fight for the “elimination of Hamas” and the release of all hostages, according to a statement from Israeli diplomacy.
“World leaders must see Hamas’ atrocities with their own eyes and understand that Israel is fighting a terrorist organization worse than ISIS (Islamic State group),” said Cohen.
The Islamic Resistance Movement Hamas, which governs Gaza, is considered a terrorist organization, among others, by Israel, the United States and the European Union.
Cohen insisted that even after the temporary truce for the release of the women and children abducted in Gaza, Israel will continue to fight to achieve the objectives: “the destruction of the Hamas government in the Gaza Strip and the release of each and every one of kidnapped.”
“We thank Great Britain for its firm position on Israel’s side since the beginning of the war and its support for our right to protect our citizens”, highlighted the Israeli minister.
Cohen also asked the British minister that, as a member of the UN Security Council, the United Kingdom exert pressure for the implementation of Resolution 1701 of 2006, which placed the border between Israel and Lebanon under the control of the Blue Helmets, after the last war, in order to avoid the expansion of the conflict to a second front.
Before traveling to Israel, Cameron spoke in London on Wednesday with leaders of Arab countries about how to use the agreement reached between Israel and Hamas to “build a peaceful future” that brings security to Israel and peace and stability for the Palestinians.
The talks focused on “how to secure the release of all hostages, increase aid to Gaza and find a long-term political solution to the conflict”, says the statement from the British Foreign Office.
Cameron highlighted the importance of “allowing humanitarian organizations to bring in more fuel so they can carry out life-saving tasks, such as supplying electricity to hospitals or desalination plants, which provide 80% of Gaza’s drinking water”.