Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper, who has recently returned from the UN General Assembly, said it has ‘reached a moment where the world wants to end this war’ in Gaza
A peace deal with Gaza may be within reach, the Foreign Secretary has suggested.
Yvette Cooper, who has recently returned from the UN General Assembly (UNGA), said it has “reached a moment where the world wants to end this war”.
“I feel like there is a consensus, a real, huge consensus building, and there was real energy and determination [at the UN] around peace,” she said. It comes after US President Donald Trump on Friday said it was “looking like we have a deal on Gaza”.
Speaking today, Ms Cooper told the Guardian: “I think we’ve reached a moment where the world wants to end this war. We can’t pretend this isn’t incredibly hard, and how long the crisis has been going on makes it challenging.
READ MORE: Donald Trump attacks UN and tells Europe: ‘Your countries are going to hell’
“But there was no doubt that there is a real sense of determination and energy behind trying to get an end to the war and to try and get not just an immediate ceasefire, but a proper plan for the future.”
Israel’s PM Benjamin Netanyahu last week told the UN his country “must finish the job” against Hamas in Gaza and branded countries’ – including the UK’s – recognition of a Palestinian state “disgraceful”.
As the leader – subject to an international criminal arrest warrant – prepared to speak at UNGA in New York, dozens of delegates from multiple nations staged a walkout.
Ms Cooper said there is “no military solution” to the conflict, saying: “For security for Israelis, as well as security for Palestinians and as well as dealing with this devastating humanitarian crisis, I think the Israeli government urgently needs to change course.”
The Government has been under pressure to call Israel’s military offensive in Gaza a genocide. More than 65,000 people have been killed in the onslaught, according to the Hamas-run health ministry.
Ms Cooper would not say Israel is committing genocide, saying it was down to a legal process. She admitted “words seem hollow” in response to the horrific catastrophe on the ground but said the focus must be on securing a peace deal to end the “screams and pain” of Palestinians.
“Every time we talk about whether it’s a humanitarian crisis or whatever words that we use actually feel hollow, because what it’s really about is the screams and pain of a toddler, and that’s what’s really at the heart of this, and that’s what has to end. The war has to be brought to an end,” Ms Cooper said.
“I think the reason that there is just such a sense of distress is because everybody can see the horror of what has happened and the fact that it feels like nothing’s being done. It feels like nothing is changing. It feels like everything is just getting worse …
“The challenge for us now is that there is a moment, and we have to make sure that that moment, through international action, is turned into a peace process.”
The White House is said to be backing Sir Tony Blair to lead a post-war transitional authority in Gaza. It would see the former Labour Prime Minister lead a governing authority supported by the UN and Gulf nations, before control being given back to Palestinians.
It comes after Sir Tony had a meeting with Donald Trump in the White House in August. Ms Cooper said: “Tony Blair has been one of the people adding proposals to this process, and that’s been really important, but there have been lots of other processes as well.
“There’s still a huge amount of work to do. At this stage, there’s a sense of consensus building but we’ve got to keep that on track.”
The White House’s 21-point plan for peace reportedly includes Hamas disarmament, an international security force and an agreement on no mass displacement from Gaza.
In February, Mr Trump suggested that people living in Gaza could be permanently relocated to neighbouring countries and that the US could take control of the territory to transform it into “the Riviera of the Middle East”. The proposal sparked widespread criticism.
READ MORE: Join our Mirror politics WhatsApp group to get the latest updates from Westminster