US, UK foreign ministers reaffirm commitment to Israel’s security, Gaza ceasefire in joint statement

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and UK Foreign Secretary David Lammy reaffirm their commitment both to Israel’s security and to achieving a lasting ceasefire in the Gaza Strip in a joint statement summarizing the discussions held during a US-UK Strategic Dialogue in London last week.

During the Dialogue, the two diplomats “underlined their support for Israel’s security and the importance of avoiding any escalatory action in the region which would undermine the prospect for peace and progress towards a two-state solution,” the statement reads.

It adds that the two discussed the humanitarian situation in Gaza and called for “all parties to the conflict to protect civilians and for Israel to facilitate the flow of aid,” while at the same time welcoming the ongoing polio vaccination campaign, the first stage of which was declared a success by the World Health Organization.

Lammy “expressed the United Kingdom’s clear support for the ongoing mediation efforts by the United States, Egypt, and Qatar to conclude the agreement for a ceasefire in Gaza and the release of hostages,” the statement adds.

The two also discussed the threat that both Iran and Russia pose to the West, after Russia received ballistic missiles from Iran to use in its war against Ukraine.

To that end, the statement adds that Blinken and Lammy noted the continued instability that Iran brings to the Middle East “through its proliferation of advanced weaponry, alongside providing financial and political support to its partners, including Lebanese [Hezbollah], Hamas, the Houthis, and other groups in Iraq and Syria.”