Yvette Cooper voices ‘deep concern’ over lack of focus on West Bank and Gaza
Foreign Secretary speaks out on 'the scale of settler violence' currently taking place in the West Bank
Yvette Cooper has said she is “deeply concerned” about a lack of focus on the peace plan in Gaza and violence in the West Bank due to the wider conflict in the Middle East.
The Foreign Secretary added the Government is also closely monitoring the potential impact of events, such as the closure of the Strait of Hormuz, on “fragile counties”.
During an appearance before the International Development Committee, she said: “I am particularly concerned at the moment about what is happening in the West Bank.
“I am also deeply concerned about the Gaza 20-point plan process being kept on track exactly because of the wider conflict in the Middle East.
“We are also closely monitoring what the impacts might be of things like the closure of the Strait of Hormuz more widely on fragile countries, on some of the least developed countries, on countries that face the greatest poverty that may feel the greatest impact from changes to energy prices and things like fertiliser process as well.”
There have been multiple reports of settler violence in the West Bank in dozens of Palestinian communities since Israel and the US attacked Iran on February 28.
Israeli authorities have restricted movement across the West Bank, intermittently closing hundreds of gates and checkpoints on roads used by residents, ambulances and commercial traffic.
The Foreign Secretary added: “I think there is a real deep concern at the moment about what is happening in the West Bank – the scale of settler violence.
“In other circumstances it would have been a huge focus for us all globally, but in the current circumstances there is so much happening that there is a danger of those issues not being focused on sufficiently.
“We are going to need to build a broader regional security and stability picture that has to include Israel, Palestine and Lebanon, as well as a broader approach.”
Discussing cuts to the aid budget confirmed last week, Ms Cooper told MPs the UK could step in to support women and girls in countries affected by the US government’s move to use aid agreements to discourage equality and inclusion efforts overseas.
She said the Government “strongly disagrees” with Washington’s approach which places a series of conditions on financial support for aid organisations, including agreements not to perform or promote abortions and restrictions on perceived gender ideology.
Ms Cooper said overall reductions in UK development spending will impact on efforts to support women and girls, but stressed making the issue a priority for the Foreign Office as a whole would ensure required action.
She added: “The reality is because development supports women and girls, of course reductions in development has an impact.
“But what we have tried to do is by making women and girls a priority for the whole of the Foreign Office, not just for development, is to increase from 80% to 90% the proportion of development programmes we expect to be sensitive to women and girls.
“We have also fully protected the funding for all programmes tackling violence against women and girls.”
The Foreign Secretary added the agenda has also featured in the department’s work on various conflicts.
“In Sudan, but also Ukraine, in a series of areas we are looking to fund either specific funding around survivors of sexual violence, or funding to help get justice, so investigations into some of the rape atrocities and getting action against those,” she said.
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