Truss urged to discuss UK seat on Israel-Palestine peace fund board ‘as matter of urgency’
Foreign secretary urged by her opposition counterpart in a letter, Labour Friends of Israel vice-chair Catherine McKinnell, to back the coexistence initiative tasked with allocating £220m
Lee Harpin is the Jewish News's political editor
Foreign Secretary Liz Truss should start discussions “as a matter of urgency” on the UK taking up an international seat on the board of the International Fund for Israeli-Palestinian Peace.
Labour Friends of Israel vice-chair Catherine McKinnell wrote to the Foreign Secretary last week following confirming that President Biden’s US administration had appointed an advisory board tasked with recommending how £220 million of funding for coexistence projects would be spent.
The board was picked by US lawmakers including Nancy Pelosi, Chuck Schumer and Mitch McConnell.
The Labour MP is now calling for the Foreign Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) to “seize the moment”by approaching the Biden administration to discuss the UK taking up one of the two vacant international seats on the board of the International Fund for Israeli-Palestinian Peace.
McKinnell, a longstanding champion of the International Fund in Parliament, warned the Foreign Secretary that “time is running out for the UK to take up a leadership role” following the announcements from Washington.
In her letter to Truss she said:”As a global leader in development, with our experience with the International Fund In Ireland, and our deep links with the Middle East, the UK is an obvious partner.”
The MP also warned that if no approach for was made for a place on the advisory board in the near future it would be then become “too late” to reverse the decision.
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