G7 NATIONS BACK US CALL FOR ‘HUMANITARIAN PAUSES’

  G7 foreign ministers meet in Tokyo.

Wed 08 October 2023:

G7 leaders have met in Tokyo for meetings which have been dominated by the Israel-Hamas war.

Foreign minsters, including the US’ Antony Blinken, have just issued a joint statement condemning Hamas – and, as expected – have supported Israel’s right to self-defence and called for “humanitarian pauses”.

In the statement, the nations sought to balance criticism of Hamas’ attacks against Israel and a push for “urgent action” to help civilians in the besieged Palestinian enclave.

Foreign ministers from the US, UK, Canada, France, Germany, Japan and Italy said they “support humanitarian pauses to facilitate urgently needed assistance, civilian movement and release of hostages.” 

The need for humanitarian pauses rather than a general ceasefire has been subject to fierce debate in recent days, with many Western nations suggesting the latter could undermine and hamper Israel and its right to defend itself.

While much of the statement reads as it was expected to, perhaps most interesting is the decision to note to “the rise in extremist settler violence committed against Palestinians”.

There have been widespread reports of Palestinians fleeing their land in the West Bank under threat of violence from Israeli settlers.

The ministers branded this “unacceptable” and said it “undermines security in the West Bank, and threatens prospects for a lasting peace”.

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