British Prime Minister Andy Burnham has criticised Israel over the continuing deaths of Palestinians, including children, in Gaza during his address to the United Nations General Assembly in New York, the 24NewsHD TV channel reported on Wednesday.
Burnham said that far too many people had died in Gaza, including a large number of children, and expressed concern over the humanitarian situation. He said only a very limited amount of aid was still reaching the territory.
The British prime minister also raised concerns about violence by Jewish settlers in the West Bank. He warned that continued settlement activity was putting the prospect of a two-state solution under pressure.
Burnham specifically criticised Israel’s E1 settlement project near Jerusalem. He said implementation of the project would threaten to separate East Jerusalem from the rest of the West Bank and make the creation of a viable Palestinian state more difficult.
He described the settlement plans as a deliberate attempt to obstruct the path towards a two-state solution. Burnham said Britain would not stand by as suffering continued to grow and the prospect of a two-state solution came under attack.
Burnham also said Britain continued to condemn the Hamas attack of 7 October 2023 and supported Israel in the face of threats from Iran and Hamas. He said those threats did not justify the Israeli government’s actions in Gaza or the West Bank.