The United Kingdom will consider the possibility of Palestinian statehood, British Foreign Secretary David Cameron said at a Westminster reception Monday.
“We have a responsibility there because we should be starting to set out what a Palestinian state would look like, what it would comprise, how it would work,” he said. “As that happens, we, with allies, will look at the issue of recognizing a Palestinian state, including at the United Nations. This could be one of the things that helps to make this process irreversible.”
U.S. National Security Council coordinator John Kirby told reporters a day later that the United States shares that sentiment, which is in line with President Joe Biden’s support for a two-state solution.
The conversation regarding Palestinian statehood comes amid continued negotiations for a ceasefire, the release of Israeli hostages, and how Gaza will be rebuilt.
Hamas is “studying” a new proposal for a renewed truce in Gaza and the return of Israeli hostages, the group’s political leader said on Tuesday.
Ismail Haniyeh, head of the Hamas political bureau, emphasized that the group’s main demand is a permanent ceasefire and a complete withdrawal of Israeli forces from the Gaza Strip.
The Gaza-based group “is in the process of studying it and submitting its response to it on the basis that the priority is to stop the aggression, the brutal attack on Gaza, and the complete withdrawal of the occupation forces from the Strip,” Haniyeh said.
Israeli leaders have said their military operations in Gaza would not cease until Hamas is demilitarized and removed from power in the strip, making negotiations difficult for intermediaries attempting to broker another truce.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu reiterated that sentiment on social media on Tuesday. It’s unclear how the deal would satisfy their conflicting objectives.
“I hear talk about all kinds of deals. I would like to make it clear: We will not conclude this war without achieving all of its goals. This means eliminating Hamas, returning all of our hostages, and ensuring that Gaza never again constitutes a threat to Israel,” Netanyahu said. “We will not withdraw the IDF from the Gaza Strip, and we will not release thousands of terrorists. None of this will happen. What will happen? Total victory!”
More than 100 of the roughly 240 people who were kidnapped on Oct. 7 remain held against their will in Gaza. The inability of Israel, Hamas, and intermediaries to come to a second ceasefire demonstrates the difficulty of the practically impossible task.
None of the hostages have been released since the weeklong cessation of hostilities in late November.
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Representatives from the U.S., Israel, Qatar, and Egypt met in Paris over the weekend and agreed to present a six-week ceasefire plan in which Hamas would release the hostages in three phases, the first of which would include older hostages, women, and children, according to the New York Times.
“The discussions have been pretty constructive,” National Security Council coordinator John Kirby said on Monday. “What we’re — and I want to be careful here because I don’t want to say anything that would torpedo the deal we’re trying to put in place — but what we’re trying to work on is another humanitarian pause of sufficient duration that will allow a large number of hostages to get released.”
