David Cameron chairs meeting with Arab counterparts to discuss Israel-Hamas conflict

LONDON: British Foreign Secretary David Cameron held a meeting with his counterparts from Arab and Islamic countries and discussed cooperation in the ongoing Israel-Hamas conflict.

According to the official statement by UK Foreign Ministry, the discussion between the leaders focused on how to secure the release of all hostages, increase the amount of aid into Gaza, and reach a "long-term political solution" to the crisis.

This meeting came after the agreement between Israel and Hamas on coordinated hostage releases and a pause in the fighting.

Following the deal, former PM Cameron emphasised the importance of allowing humanitarian organisations to bring in more fuel so they can carry out lifesaving work unimpeded - including powering hospitals or desalination plants, which supply 80 per cent of Gaza's water.

The Foreign Secretary discussed how to reinvigorate diplomatic efforts towards a viable two-state solution, which provides security for both Israelis and Palestinians, and restated the UK's condemnation of the rise in settler violence in the West Bank.

He committed to continued UK support to prevent wider regional escalation, including in Lebanon and Yemen, the statement read. Cameron also committed for continued UK support to prevent wider regional escalation, including in Lebanon and Yemen. "Today I have chaired a meeting of leaders from Arab countries and other Islamic states on the situation in Israel and Gaza.

The agreement reached last night is an important opportunity to get the hostages out and more aid into Gaza to help the Palestinian people," Cameron said in a statement.

"We discussed how to use this step forward to think about the future and how we can build a peaceful future which provides security for Israel but also peace and stability for the Palestinian people," he added.

The Foreign Ministers from Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Egypt, the Palestinian Authority, Turkey, Indonesia and Nigeria, as well as the Secretary General of the League of Arab States and Ambassador of Qatar attended the event in Lancaster House, London. The group was formed as a 'Peace Committee' at the Joint Arab Islamic Extraordinary Summit, held in Riyadh on November 11.

The group are visiting the capitals of Permanent Members of the UN Security Council, arriving in London after meetings in Beijing and Moscow, with further travel planned to Paris and Washington.

Meanwhile, the UK has helped the international response to the humanitarian crisis in Gaza, by announcing 30 million euros in additional aid to the Occupied Palestinian Territories on October 23 - more than doubling the existing aid commitment for this year of 27 million euros, the statement added.