After the “pause” in fighting: What can the UK materially do to support Israel and Palestine?
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The UK Government has to acknowledge that the reality on the ground in both Israel and Palestine has changed dramatically since Hamas’s attack on October 7, the taking of 240 hostages, and the subsequent Israeli Defence Force operation in Gaza.
On 24 November 2023, Israel and Hamas agreed a four-day humanitarian pause brokered by Qatar which includes the staggered release of 50 hostages in exchange for 150 Palestinian prisoners in Israel. At the time of writing, the pause remains in effect and there is speculation that Hamas will release between another 20-40 hostages and the current pause will be extended by two-four days.
This paper, through a narrow frame, outlines what the UK Government can practically do to improve the situation on the ground for both Israelis and Palestinians following the pause in fighting.
SUMMARY OF POLICY RECOMMENDATIONS
Increasing bilateral and multilateral humanitarian aid in Palestine
The UK Government should consider increasing further the amount of funding it provides to UNRWA and return its funding to 2018 levels. This should include new transparency mechanisms to ensure that UK aid is not misspent or syphoned off to support the activities of terror groups like Hamas.
Ministers should back Labour’s call for the UK Government to provide matching funding to private humanitarian aid appeals from the Disasters Emergency Committee and the British Red Cross.
The UK Government should commit to a package of development aid for the Egyptian Government to help support Palestinians from Gaza who find safe refuge in the country temporarily.
The FCDO should reintroduce and recommit to a bespoke cross-departmental fund to support the Middle East Peace Process and contribute to a joint-fund with partners for the reconstruction of Gaza. This should include helping support and develop civil society groups in Palestine and Israel.
The FCDO should reintroduce a designated Minister for the Middle East and North Africa.
The UK Government should enter into a dialogue with Israeli officials over an appropriate support package the UK can offer Israel to recuperate from the economic impact of the current crisis.
Deterring a wider conflict in the region
The UK Government must be ready to deploy further military assets to the region to support a strategy of deterrence leveraging its close partnerships with other NATO allies including those in Europe and the USA. The USA remains the largest power broker in the region, and it is acting to defend Western interests and liberal values. The UK must stay close to the US administration, with a view to influencing them when desired.
Diplomatically, the UK faces a challenging tight-rope when it comes to managing relations with Iran. There is a strong case for the Government moving forward with the proscription of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps as a terrorist organisation, but this would come at a diplomatic cost. The UK Embassy in Tehran will remain an important back channel to the regime to encourage de-escalation in the region.
The UK Government should utilise its close diplomatic relationships with the Gulf States, Egypt, and Jordan to gain valuable intelligence regarding potential flashpoints for escalation and to convey messages to Iran and Hezbollah on the need to avoid further destabilisation of the region. This could include a working group with Arab states which focuses on achieving peace in the region.
The UK Government should consider re-appointing a peace envoy for the Middle East to coordinate diplomatic efforts.
The UK should support Israel’s mission to dismantle the capabilities of Hamas within humanitarian law. In turn, it should discourage violence from extremist settlers against Palestinians in the West Bank and join calls from the USA that it will consider sanctions against those individuals involved.
As part of a strategy of deterrence, the UK Government should state its recommitment and support for the International Criminal Court including with continued funding. Where there is credible evidence of violations of international law or war crimes, Ministers should commit to supporting international efforts to investigate after the conflict has ended.
Seeking the release of the remaining hostages and an extension of the pause in fighting
Ministers should urge US officials and the Gulf States (particularly Qatar) that have more influence over Israel and Palestine to publicly and privately continue to press for the release of the remaining hostages and an extension of the humanitarian pause in the fighting, to allow the continuation of humanitarian corridors.
UK intelligence services should work with like-minded partners in the region to identify the location of hostages in Gaza who are not being held by Hamas.
Calls for an extended humanitarian pause in the fighting must be paired with calls on Arab states in the region to disavow Hamas and support peace-efforts.
The UK should encourage the Egyptian Government to open the Rafah Crossing as a humanitarian corridor to allow Palestinians fleeing the conflict to gain temporary safe haven with the guarantee of return after the fighting has ended. In this regard the UK Government could use its close diplomatic and military relationship with Egypt to compel the Sisi Regime to do the right thing, including offering financial support to offer temporary accommodation for refugees and reviewing UK loans and supporting underwriting financial assistance to the Egyptian Government at the IMF and World Bank as we have done so in the past.
Supporting Israel’s right to defend itself and a broader peace settlement for the Palestinian people
Peace for the region begins with the assurance of safety and security for Israelis and Palestinians alike. The UK Government must play its part in guaranteeing that security, which includes supporting Israel’s right to defend itself within the confines of international law and similarly calling out attempts to undermine the viability of a Palestinian state.
The UK Government must continue to offer its unflinching support for Israel’s right to defend itself and in helping the Israeli Government identify and bring to justice those individuals involved in planning, financing, and arming Hamas’s attack in Southern Israel.his includes cooperating with Israeli intelligence services.
It is clear that controversial judicial reforms outlined by the Netanyahu Government undermined Israel’s security and the readiness of the Israeli Defence Force to protect the country. The UK Government should support efforts towards fostering a resilient and well-functioning democratic system in Israel. This could include suggesting a commission to review the impact Israel’s electoral system has played in the country’s lurch towards extremism.
The UK Government should press the Israeli Government to suspend settlement building, and press Palestinian authorities to commit to tackling the terrorism within Palestine.
The UK should work with regional partners on a credible framework for the future management of Gaza and to build a credible alternative to Hamas in the eyes of the Palestinian people. This must include a clear plan for reconstruction and a commitment to support the re-establishment of meaningful peace talks in the future, which leads to a timeline for the establishment of a viable Palestinian state alongside Israel.
Learning from the example of Northern Ireland, the UK Government should support the Alliance for Middle East Peace’s proposal for an International Fund for Israeli-Palestinian Peace and offer matching funds to donations made by the USA (currently $250m over five years) and other like-minded partners.
