Middle East minister hints at UK role in peacekeeping force

Minister for the Middle East Lord Tariq Ahmad has suggested the UK could be part of a peacekeeping force that offers “the security guarantees that Israel needs” and which also has the “confidence of the Palestinians.”

Lord Ahmad hinted at discussions currently taking place between the UK and America, after the Conservative peer Lord Clarke suggested the only way of breaking down the barriers to a peace deal between Israel and Hamas could eventually be “by some sort of enforcement mechanism being applied from outside.”

He reasoned:”The difficulty is there seems to be not the slightest prospect of Hamas ever agreeing to accept the continued existence of Israel and not the slightest chance of a Netanyahu Government agreeing to a two-state solution, which they would regard as giving Hamas a victory for its 7 October activities—and they probably have the majority of the Israeli population at this present time agreeing with them at least on that. ”

Lord Clarke said there was a danger that if any deal was struck “a peacekeeping mission would need to be established to try to ensure that it does not all collapse and go back into calamity in a very short time.”

Responding Lord Ahmad said that “there are details that are currently under way with regard to securing what is necessary for Israel and providing it with security guarantees. ”

He added:”That will constitute a presence beyond the Israeli Army that is currently in Gaza that has the confidence of the Palestinians within Gaza, but, importantly, has the security guarantees that Israel needs. We are working on that.”
On the specifics, of course we are working hand in glove with the Americans.” 

Meanwhile, speaking at a foreign affairs select committee session on Tuesday, former foreign office minister  Alistair Burt was among those to argue that despite the October 7th Hamas atrocity, the two state solution remains a viable option for resolving Israel’s conflict with the Palestinians.

Burt was supported by the Israeli expert on the conflict, Gershon Baskin.

He told the session:”The Hamas attack on October 7th was not in pursuit of a Palestinian state. It was an act of terror, it was the use of its ideology of the elimination of the Jews.

“Recognition of a Palestinian state is not connected with that in any way. ”
He added the current foreign secretary David Cameron had “changed the nature of potential recognition. It had always been assumed recognition would come towards the end of the negotiating process.”

Burt added:”If you make sure your negotiations aren’t going to end you never get the recognition of a Palestinian state.”

Israeli commentator Baskin agreed:”Hamas can be defeated militarily  and perhaps Israel can ensure that.

“But taking the ideology from Hamas is done by making Palestine real from Palestinians. Palestinians need to understand that they can live for Palestine, and they don’t need to die for Palestine. ”

Baskin argued that at the same time as a Palestinian state was recognised “I would call on the nations of the world  who have yet to recognise Israel to do so.”

He called on Britain to go ahead and recognise Palestine “now” while at the same time “call on the states that haven’t recognised Israel to do so as well.”

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