Conservative lawmakers call on British foreign secretary to press for urgent cease-fire in Gaza

By Aysu Bicer

LONDON (AA) - A group of Conservative Party members in the UK, including former ministers and committee chairs, wrote a letter to Foreign Secretary David Cameron emphasizing the need for diplomacy and politics as a way to ensure Israel's security and peace for Palestinians.

The letter urged Cameron to acknowledge the necessity of opening up space for a new political reality and to recognize the urgent need for a cease-fire in the Israel-Hamas war.

"We were dismayed to see the United Kingdom abstain on the resolution calling for a cease-fire in Israel and Gaza at the United Nations General Assembly last week, when most of our allies such as France, Canada and Australia had voted in support," it said.

The letter reiterated the importance of protecting civilians during wartime, referring to the Geneva Conventions.

"As the Palestinian population is kettled into ever smaller areas, disease is spreading and starvation is imminent. By any measure, we are witnessing a catastrophe of precisely the kind the 1949 Geneva Conventions were supposed to prevent," it said.

Recalling their previous expressions of concern about the events on Oct. 7 and the overall situation in Gaza, the members of parliament (MPs) stated their belief that flattening Gaza, killing innocent Palestinian civilians in pursuit of Hamas, or employing such military methods in the fight against Hamas for rescuing captives are not in the long-term interests of Israel and the UK.

Instead, they argued that cruelty towards Palestinian civilians would lead to increased extremism in the future.

"It is widely accepted across the world that lasting security for Israel, peace for the Palestinians, an end to the killing, and the defeat of Hamas, can only be achieved through politics and diplomacy and the establishment of two states.

"We therefore urge you to recognize that space must be created for the emergence of a new political reality, and that space requires an immediate cease-fire," it added.

Israel's air and ground attacks on the Gaza Strip since an Oct. 7 attack by the Palestinian group Hamas have killed at least 19,453 Palestinians, mostly women and children, according to health authorities in the enclave.

The war has left Gaza in ruins, with half of the coastal territory's housing damaged or destroyed and nearly 2 million people displaced within the densely-populated enclave amid shortages of food and clean water.

The Israeli death toll in the Hamas attack stands at 1,200, while more than 130 hostages are still being held by the Palestinian group in Gaza, according to official figures.