UK premier, Palestinian president call for immediate cease-fire

By Aysu Bicer

LONDON (AA) - UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas met to discuss the escalating crisis in Gaza, stressing the need for an immediate cease-fire.

"We need an immediate ceasefire, the release of hostages, and a surge in humanitarian aid getting in," they agreed on Wednesday, acknowledging the deepening humanitarian crisis in Gaza, according to an official UK statement.

Speaking on the sidelines of this week’s UN General Assembly, Starmer expressed deep concern over the human cost of the Gaza conflict, saying "the loss of civilian life has been intolerable," with over 41,000 people killed over the last year, according to official figures.

Both leaders also strongly condemned rising violence from illegal Israeli settlers and the expansion of their settlements in the West Bank.

Looking beyond the immediate violence, the conversation turned to the future of the West Bank-based Palestinian Authority, headed by Abbas, and the broader peace process.

Starmer and Abbas agreed that "supporting and reforming the Palestinian Authority" is essential for stability, as is working towards a "political horizon."

They reaffirmed that the long-term solution to the conflict lies in "a viable Palestinian state along a safe and secure Israel," emphasizing the importance of diplomacy and a renewed push for lasting peace in the region.

The UK – along with the US, France, Germany, and the EU – is also among nations that on Wednesday called for a 21-day ceasefire to the conflict between Israel and Lebanese Hezbollah, which many call a dangerous escalation of the Gaza conflict.