As part of his Middle east tour, british prime minister Rishi Sunak visited egypt on friday to hold urgent talks aimed at averting a regional outbreak of the Israel-Hamas conflict. Sunak reaffirmed the UK's long-standing support to the two-state solution for Israelis and Palestinians during meetings with Mahmoud abbas and Abdel Fattah El-Sisi, the presidents of the Palestinian Authority and egypt, respectively, in Cairo.

The leaders of the negotiations in the Egyptian capital agreed, according to Downing Street briefings, that all sides must take action to limit the loss of innocent lives and to preserve civilian infrastructure and people. Regarding the discussions with Abbas, a Downing Street spokeswoman stated, "The prime minister (Sunak) underscored his commitment to opening up humanitarian access to Gaza to alleviate the suffering of thousands of people who desperately need food, water, and medicine."

"They emphasized that Hamas does not represent the Palestinian people and denounced the terrorist actions of Hamas." According to the spokeswoman, the prime minister reaffirmed the UK's long-standing commitment to the two-state solution and to realizing a future in which Israelis and Palestinians may coexist in security and peace.

Sunak praised Egypt's efforts to quickly restore the Rafah border crossing between egypt and Gaza during his prior conversations with El-Sisi.

According to Downing Street, "He stated that the UK was dedicated to doing its share in aiding the civilians of Gaza and easing the severe humanitarian situation there."

The "productive" meetings with Saudi Crown prince Mohammed bin salman on thursday in saudi arabia preceded the talks with the Egyptian President.


The meeting I had with Crown prince Mohammed bin salman was significant and fruitful. After the conference, Sunak tweeted, "We decided on coordinated action to prevent further escalation in the region, provide vital humanitarian aid in Gaza, and support stability, both now and in the long term."

Sunak had "encouraged the Crown prince to use Saudi's leadership in the region to support stability, both now and in the long-term" , according to Downing Street.

After meeting with Israeli President Isaac Herzog and prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu, he made a stop in Riyadh. Afterward, he spoke at a joint news conference with Netanyahu, reaffirming that the UK supports israel at its "darkest hour."

"Throughout these discussions, the prime minister has emphasized the critical need to prevent regional escalation and the needless loss of additional civilian lives," a Downing Street statement said.

In addition to calling Hamas "pure evil," Sunak pressed Israeli officials to move forward with releasing humanitarian supplies into Gaza despite dire warnings.

In an attempt to stop the crisis from getting worse, the british prime minister left on thursday and is currently in the Middle east for two days. As international leaders boost up attempts to stop the war from expanding over the wider region, this visit takes place immediately after that of US President Joe Biden.

While acknowledging that israel had been "badly victimized" and that it was legitimate to retaliate against Hamas, Biden also issued a warning to Israelis, telling them not to repeat the "mistakes" made by an "enraged" united states following the 9/11 attacks in 2001.

Insisting that israel has the right to "act against terrorism," Sunak has refused to support opposition requests for a ceasefire to protect civilians made by the Scottish National party and several Labour MPs. Calls for ceasefires were "all well and good," but UK Foreign Secretary james Cleverly told MPs on wednesday that he had not seen any indication that Hamas would honour one. In addition to visiting his Egyptian colleague, the minister is currently travelling for diplomatic purposes and will also be stopping in turkey and Qatar.








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