Afət Ziyadqızı
UK Prime Minister Burnham said Britain could not remain silent and stand by as the humanitarian crisis in Gaza continues.
Operative Information Center-OMM reports that Burnham wrote on his “X” account that the world had become more dangerous.
He said that, in the 10 years since the UK left the European Union, his country had lost confidence in its ability to lead and defend its values.
“I will not allow this to happen. It is more important than ever for Britain to stand for something,” the prime minister wrote.
Recalling that the UK had supported a two-state solution in the Middle East for many years, Burnham said this position would be meaningless unless it was backed by concrete action.
According to him, London had long hesitated to act for fear of being accused of opposing Israel.
The prime minister said a decision to ban trade from the occupied Palestinian territories was being carefully assessed. He stressed that such measures were aimed not at the Israeli people, but at the unacceptable policies of the Israeli government.
Burnham described the suffering endured by the Palestinian people as “a wound on the conscience of the world.”
He said innocent Palestinians continued to be killed in Gaza and that very little aid was entering the region despite the humanitarian crisis.
The prime minister said thousands of people had been killed and millions displaced in Gaza, adding that the British public felt these events deeply.
“While this terrible suffering continues and the two-state solution—the greatest hope for peace and stability in the region—is under attack, I cannot stay silent and stand by,” Burnham said.
Burnham noted that the number of illegal settlements approved by Israel over the past four years exceeded the number approved during the previous 20 years.
He said Israelis who had seized Palestinian land had carried out 1,500 acts of violence this year.
According to the prime minister, the Israeli government had approved 104 new settlements since coming to power in December 2022.
He also noted that, ahead of the October elections, permission had been given for the tender process for construction of the E1 settlement to continue.
Burnham said the project could destroy hopes for a two-state solution by creating a line cutting through the middle of the West Bank.
The two-state solution envisages the establishment of an independent Palestinian state alongside Israel and remains the framework most widely cited by the international community for resolving the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
