At the UN Security Council on 11 August 2026, Ambassador Sarah MacIntosh presented the UK's latest position on Palestine as a three-part policy message rather than a broad diplomatic appeal. The statement restated that a two-state solution remains, in the UK's view, the only credible route to long-term security: Israel living safely alongside a sovereign Palestinian state spanning Gaza and the West Bank, including East Jerusalem. (gov.uk) That framing matters because it placed current security and humanitarian questions inside a defined political end-point. The speech then moved to three immediate priorities: implementing the ceasefire arrangements in Gaza, reducing violence in the West Bank, and stopping further settlement expansion. (gov.uk)
On Gaza, the UK backed full implementation of Security Council Resolution 2803 and set out what that means in practice. The statement said all parties must meet their commitments, including respect for the ceasefire, Hamas carrying out decommissioning commitments, the phased withdrawal of the Israel Defence Forces under the 20-point plan and the Roadmap for Phase Two, and the transfer of governance and security control to the Palestinian Authority. (gov.uk) In plain English, the government is linking any durable ceasefire to a political and administrative handover, not only to a pause in fighting. The statement also urged the Palestinian Authority to continue reforms needed to take on that role, while crediting the US, Qatar, Türkiye and Egypt for pushing the negotiations forward. (gov.uk)
The humanitarian point was stated without qualification. The speech said conditions in Gaza remain appalling and called on Israeli authorities to end what it described as unacceptable restrictions on aid, allowing safe, sustained and unhindered humanitarian access across the territory. (gov.uk) That is a central part of the UK's current line. The message was not limited to ceasefire observance; it linked ceasefire implementation to the daily movement of assistance and to the wider effort to end both the Gaza conflict and the threat posed by Hamas. (gov.uk)
On the West Bank, the speech shifted from diplomatic process to accountability. The UK condemned escalating violence and cited July figures showing thirteen Palestinians and two Israelis killed. It also described recent attacks by Israeli settlers on Palestinian villages and communities, in some cases alongside Israel Defence Forces personnel, as appalling and not isolated. (gov.uk) The source used by the UK was the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. According to the speech, OCHA's July reporting recorded more than 1,300 settler-related incidents affecting over 250 Palestinian communities, with around 900 Palestinians injured and more than 3,200 displaced this year; the statement also said at least three Israelis had been killed and 24 injured. (gov.uk)
The statement gave particular weight to the effect on children. It said children are being exposed to repeated violence, displacement and disruption caused by movement restrictions and military operations, and pointed to the demolition on 4 August of three donor-funded classrooms at Sha'ab al Butum School only weeks before the start of the school year. (gov.uk) From there, the UK moved to enforcement. The speech called on the Israeli government to protect the Palestinian population of the occupied territory, welcomed recent arrests and indictments relating to settler violence, but said impunity has lasted too long and that much more must be done to prevent and prosecute attacks. It added that Israeli security measures must be proportionate, consistent with international law and directed towards de-escalation. (gov.uk)
On settlements, the language was categorical. The UK restated that settlements are illegal under international law and said they weaken the viability of a two-state solution while increasing insecurity for Palestinians and Israelis alike. The speech said the Israeli government has approved 104 settlements in four years, an 80 per cent increase, and has directed unprecedented levels of funding towards new construction. (gov.uk) The statement then singled out two flashpoints. It condemned threats to expand illegal settlements and outposts and opposed the move to reintroduce the E1 plan, which it said would cut the West Bank in half. It also expressed alarm at recent mass incursions at Haram al Sharif/Temple Mount and said the status quo at Jerusalem's holy sites must be respected. (gov.uk)
The closing argument was that progress in Gaza and deterioration in the West Bank can no longer be treated as separate files. The UK said renewed efforts to implement Resolution 2803 offer the most viable route towards lasting peace, but warned that events in the West Bank must not be allowed to erode that progress. (gov.uk) For officials, aid organisations and readers tracking UK foreign policy, the practical reading is clear: London is presenting ceasefire implementation, humanitarian access, Palestinian Authority reform, control of settler violence and a halt to settlement growth as parts of one policy position. That places sharper attention on enforcement and follow-through, not only on negotiation language. (gov.uk)