Deputy Prime Minister David Lammy delivered a stark condemnation of the Gaza conflict during his address to the United Nations General Assembly in New York. He described the ongoing situation as the "Israeli-Palestinian tragedy" that demands immediate action.
Lammy declared: "What is happening in Gaza is indefensible, it is inhumane, it is utterly unjustifiable and it must end now." His speech focused on the urgent need for both Israeli and Palestinian people to have better conditions than the current crisis.
Calls for better future
The Deputy Prime Minister outlined what both peoples deserve beyond the current violence. He said they deserve "better than the horrific acts by Hamas on October 7 that left children without their parents and parents without their children."
Lammy continued: "Better than the torment of families waiting desperately for the return of their loved ones from the most barbaric captivity. Better than the fanatical rule by Hamas, a vile, pitiless terrorist organisation that must have no future in Gaza."
He also criticised Israel's actions, stating they deserve "better than Israel's denial of life-saving humanitarian aid and the catastrophic famine that it has caused."
Diplomatic solution urged
Lammy emphasised that military escalation cannot provide answers to the crisis. He stated: "As Israel escalates its military operations and displaces Palestinian families again and again and again, there can be no answer to these horrors but concerted diplomatic action to keep the hope of peace alive."
The Deputy Prime Minister noted that Britain had "proudly" recognised Palestine, referring to the decision made alongside Canada, Australia and Portugal on Sunday.
UK recognition context
Earlier this week, Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper addressed the UN about the Palestinian recognition decision. Cooper told the assembly that recognising Palestinian statehood must be a "spur" to action rather than a "substitute" for it.
Cooper explained that the UK's largely symbolic recognition reflects the "grave reality" that the two-state solution is in "profound peril."
Sources used: "PA Media" Note: This article has been edited with the help of Artificial Intelligence.
