The G7 group of nations would unite to “stand against” any attempt by Israeli extremists to annex the occupied West Bank and Gaza, Britain’s Foreign Secretary David Lammy said.
He informed British MPs on Tuesday that the issue of Israel’s illegal seizure of Palestinian territory was raised a day earlier during a meeting of G7 Foreign Ministers in Italy. The group comprises the UK, US, Japan, Italy, Canada, Germany and France, as well as the US.
“We were united, all of us, in condemning any suggestion of annexation,” he said. “We would stand against it.”
Mr Lammy was responding to a question by Calum Miller, the Liberal Democrat foreign affairs spokesman, who raised comments made last week by far-right Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, who advocated the annexation of the West Bank. This suggested the Israeli government had “no interest in a two-state solution” to the Palestine-Israel crisis, Mr Miller said.
There was now a “real and imminent risk that the extremists in the Israeli cabinet will succeed in annexing Palestinian territories before any negotiations can take place”, he added,
Mr Lammy told MPs that he wanted to “make it absolutely clear annexation would be illegal”. “We will continue to speak out against both illegal violence by settlers and settlers’ annexation,” he added.
He also said sanctions against Mr Smotrich and far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir were under consideration.
There are growing concerns that Israel’s unrelenting campaign in northern Gaza is part of a tactic to depopulate the area. Since the Hamas-led attack on October 7 last year, there has also been widespread settler violence in the West Bank, with more than 700 Palestinians killed.
Threat to Gaza aid
The increasingly dire humanitarian situation in Gaza was also raised by the ministers, along with deep concerns over a new Israeli law that will prevent the UN agency for Palestinian refugees from accessing the enclave from January 28 next year.
“There is huge concern that if this legislation does take effect, it will breach numerous international laws and will have a catastrophic effect on the humanitarian and security situation in the region,” said Sarah Champion, chairwoman of the international development committee.
In response, Development Minister Anneliese Dodds said the UK made it “absolutely clear” to Israel that UNRWA was the only agency that could deliver aid at the “scale and depth” required in Gaza.
She also emphasised that to the UN General Assembly and Mr Lammy also made the importance of UNRWA clear “a number of times” to Israeli officials. “It's very clear those restrictions on the operation of UNRWA must not be implemented by the Israeli government,” Ms Dodds said.
More coverage from the Future Forum
The specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4cyl turbo
Power: 261hp at 5,500rpm
Torque: 405Nm at 1,750-3,500rpm
Transmission: 9-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 6.9L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh117,059
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Zayed Sustainability Prize
Lexus LX700h specs
Engine: 3.4-litre twin-turbo V6 plus supplementary electric motor
Power: 464hp at 5,200rpm
Torque: 790Nm from 2,000-3,600rpm
Transmission: 10-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 11.7L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh590,000
The Africa Institute 101
Housed on the same site as the original Africa Hall, which first hosted an Arab-African Symposium in 1976, the newly renovated building will be home to a think tank and postgraduate studies hub (it will offer master’s and PhD programmes). The centre will focus on both the historical and contemporary links between Africa and the Gulf, and will serve as a meeting place for conferences, symposia, lectures, film screenings, plays, musical performances and more. In fact, today it is hosting a symposium – 5-plus-1: Rethinking Abstraction that will look at the six decades of Frank Bowling’s career, as well as those of his contemporaries that invested social, cultural and personal meaning into abstraction.
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
How to become a Boglehead
Bogleheads follow simple investing philosophies to build their wealth and live better lives. Just follow these steps.
• Spend less than you earn and save the rest. You can do this by earning more, or being frugal. Better still, do both.
• Invest early, invest often. It takes time to grow your wealth on the stock market. The sooner you begin, the better.
• Choose the right level of risk. Don't gamble by investing in get-rich-quick schemes or high-risk plays. Don't play it too safe, either, by leaving long-term savings in cash.
• Diversify. Do not keep all your eggs in one basket. Spread your money between different companies, sectors, markets and asset classes such as bonds and property.
• Keep charges low. The biggest drag on investment performance is all the charges you pay to advisers and active fund managers.
• Keep it simple. Complexity is your enemy. You can build a balanced, diversified portfolio with just a handful of ETFs.
• Forget timing the market. Nobody knows where share prices will go next, so don't try to second-guess them.
• Stick with it. Do not sell up in a market crash. Use the opportunity to invest more at the lower price.
