UK Foreign Secretary Johnson: UK remains committed to 2 state solution

Stressing complete support for the two-state solution, Johnson called for an end to Palestinian terrorism and Israeli “settlement” building. 

Meeting with Palestinian Authority (PA) officials in Ramallah on Wednesday, British Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson said that his country continues to maintain unequivocal support for a two-state solution between Israel and the Palestinians.

“The policy of our government in the UK is absolutely unchanged,” Johnson said during discussions with PA Foreign Minister Riyad al-Malki. “We remain committed to a two-state solution, to that vision, for the resolution of this conflict.”

“There is of course the need for the Israeli people to feel that they can live in security without the fear of terrorism and violence,” he continued. “But on the other hand, it’s vital too that obstacles such as the accelerating pace of settlement building, the accelerating pace of demolitions, which we also discussed, those are also the barriers in the path of a two-state solution, and we have to work to remove those barriers.”

Johnson made his remarks shortly after meeting with Israeli President Reuven Rivlin, who extended an invitation to the British royal family to attend upcoming ceremonies marking the 100th anniversary of the signing of the Balfour Declaration.

The document, signed by then-Foreign Secretary Arthur Balfour on November 2, 1917, originally supported “the establishment in Palestine of a national home for the Jewish people.” At the time of the document’s signing, the British mandate’s territory included the land that now belongs to the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan in addition to all the territory west of the Jordan River, including Judea and Samaria.

By: Jonathan Benedek, World Israel News

Al-MalkiBoris JohnsonPalestinian AuthorityRivlinTwo State Solution