Stephen welcomes ceasefire between israel and Hamas
Last week, the Israeli Government and Hamas reached a ceasefire deal to end the current conflict in Gaza. Stephen wrote to David Lammy, the Foreign Sectretary, on Thursday to welcome the deal and urge the Government to push for a lasting peace.
After over a year of fighting, negotiators representing Israel and Hamas reached a ceasefire deal on Wednesday 15 Janaury. The ceasefire consisted of three stages, with Hamas releasing 33 hostages in exchange for Palestinians held in Israeli prisons. Israel agreed to release 30 to 50 prisoners in exchange for each hostage. The Israeli Government ratified the ceasefire on Friday 17 January and the first stage began on Sunday.
Stephen wrote to the Foreign Secretary on Thursday to welcome the ceasefire while agreeing with the Foreign Secretary’s statement that “much remains to be done.” Stephen emphasised that the ceasefire only ends the immediate conflict and that a sustainable, two-state solution is required for permanent peace.
“I welcome the end to the immediate conflict in Gaza,” Stephen said. “However, a conflict like this must never happen again, we need a permanent peace between Israel and Gaza, and that means a sustainable, two-state solution. I have written to the Foreign Secretary to ask how he is working to achieve this.”
You can read Stephen’s letter to the Foreign Secretary here.