Sir, – As Christmas approaches, the contrast between the calm in the Holy Land depicted in the Bible and the scenes on our screens each night could hardly be greater. There are no silent nights, let alone peaceful days, in Gaza.
As my foreign minister wrote at the weekend in a joint op-ed with his German counterpart “each death of an innocent… is a tragedy”.
Around the world there are calls for an immediate ceasefire. This is understandable, to say the least, but we fear such calls are unrealistic and even unwise.
The goal is not simply to end fighting today. It must be a ceasefire which can lead to a lasting peace, so it must be sustainable.
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We agree that the conflict must not endure a day longer than is necessary. We understand the humanitarian imperative. That is why we have argued for, and supported, humanitarian pauses. We need more aid in and more hostages out.
But a ceasefire today would be asymmetric and ineffective. Were Israel to stop military operations now, would Hamas do likewise? Hamas committed heinous attacks on innocent Israelis on October 7th and seeks to cause further death by rocket fire every day. Such violence is ingrained into its ideology. So an unsustainable ceasefire, collapsing into further violence, would make it harder to build the conditions for peace.
The Israel/Palestine conflict is paradoxical, in that the parameters for peace have existed for decades, endorsed by the world community. But the goal, a two-state solution, remains elusive and, some fear, overtaken by events. We must prove the doubters wrong and redouble efforts to reach a deal whereby Israel lives in security with democratic and peaceful Palestine as its neighbour.
That requires political change. As our ministers said, “even before October 7th, it was hard to imagine Hamas as a real partner for peace. After October 7th, we can have no illusions.” We are not, however, just waiting, passively, for change to arrive. The British and German governments are focused on three areas in particular.
First, making clear that, while Israel has the right to defend itself, it must abide by international humanitarian law. Too many civilians have been killed. Israel needs to do more to discriminate between terrorists and civilians, focusing its campaign on Hamas leaders and operatives.
Second, we must accelerate aid to the innocent civilians of Gaza. We have increased funding for humanitarian aid. We need unhindered aid deliveries through as many crossing points as possible.
Finally, we need to reboot the peace process. Our Arab partners have a critical role, including in helping build the capacity of a future Palestinian state.
Our governments are conscious that their predecessors have travelled this stony road before. It is all too easy to be pessimistic. But if the spirit of the season means anything, it means investing new hope and determination in the search for peace. – Yours, etc,
PAUL JOHNSTON,
British Ambassador to Ireland.