Britain wants to see an independent, democratic state of Palestine to exist next to Israel, and we want both states to live in peace and security.   We believe that Jerusalem must be a shared city and the capital for both states, and we believe that there should be a just settlement for refugees.  

Only the Palestinians and Israelis can decide how the conflict is resolved.  The UK’s role is to support and encourage the parties to take steps towards peace. For example: we have been clear and consistent in our message that Israel must stop all settlement activity in the West Bank and East Jerusalem.  At the same time, we consistently call for Palestinian militants to stop violence directed at civilians.  And we continue to call on those such as Iran who continue to disrupt efforts for peace by supplying weapons to Palestinians militants to play a more constructive role in furthering peace and desist from such activities.

We are also helping the Palestinians to build a viable, economically successful state.  We give financial support to the Palestinian Authority, so that it can pay salaries - including in Gaza - introduce reform and prepare for statehood.  And we also do a lot of work to attract foreign investment to the Occupied Palestinian Territories, so that Palestinian business can develop and prosper.  

What’s the UK doing about Israeli settlements?

We consider all Israeli settlements in the OPTs to be illegal under international law.  This includes settlement in East Jerusalem. Beyond this, they comprise an obstacle to the peace process and create the wrong impression about Israel’s seriousness about peace.
As well as lobbying Israel at the highest levels to stop settlement activity, Britain has been involved in a range of activities to further the goal of stopping settlement activity. We have also provided support for NGOs opposing settlement activity through activities such as monitoring and awareness raising. We are introducing voluntary guidance on the labelling of produce from the West Bank, so that retailers and consumers can distinguish more easily between Palestinian produce and produce from Israel settlements.  

Examples of UK support for Palestinians

• In December 2007 the UK pledged up to £243 million to the Occupied Palestinian Territories over three years.  
• The UK is active in helping the people of Gaza rebuild their lives.  We made nearly £47million available to help in the aftermath of the Gaza conflict. We continue to urge the Israelis to open the crossings into Gaza more fully, both for aid and humanitarian items, and for longer-term reconstruction supplies and trade goods.    
• Our money is donated to charities and aid agencies working on the ground in Gaza, including the UN Relief and Works Agency, Oxfam, the International Committee of the Red Cross and Red Crescent and Islamic Relief. These charities are working to provide food, shelter and medical aid to the people of Gaza, to repair sanitation systems, to re-open schools and to give emotional support to traumatised children.
• Over the last year we provided over £50m to the Palestinian Authority to help stabilise its finances, pay salaries for up to 77,000 Palestinian Authority workers and deliver essential services such as healthcare and education.
• Britain has committed to give £100 million to the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestinian Refugees in the Middle East over 5 years.