Immediate ceasefire required between Israel and Hezbollah, says Lammy

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Andrew Feinberg

White House Correspondent

Foreign Secretary David Lammy has said an “immediate ceasefire” is required between Israel and Hezbollah following a “worrying escalation”.

Mr Lammy said the ongoing hostilities are in “nobody’s interest” as he also advised British nationals in Lebanon to “leave now”.

Hezbollah’s deputy leader Naim Kassem, speaking on Sunday, said his group is now in an open-ended battle of reckoning with Israel.

His comments came after a wave of explosions hit pagers and walkie-talkies belonging to Hezbollah members, killing at least 37 people – including two children – and wounding about 3,000.

The attacks are widely believed to have been carried out by Israel, although Israeli president Isaac Herzog said he “rejects out of hand any connection” to the operation against Hezbollah.

Mr Lammy, speaking at the Labour Party conference in Liverpool, spoke of the new Government’s response to the Israel-Gaza conflict before turning to Lebanon.

He said: “We have never lost sight of the end goal: an irreversible pathway towards a two-state solution.

“I believe in the right of Israel to be safe and secure. I also believe in the justness of the Palestinian cause.

“It is only once Palestinians and Israelis have the same fundamental rights – sovereignty, security and dignity in their own independent, recognised states – that we can achieve a just and lasting peace for all.

“In recent days, we have seen worrying escalation between Israel and Lebanese Hezbollah. This is in nobody’s interest.

“Our message to all parties is clear: we need an immediate ceasefire from both sides so that we can get to a political settlement.

“So that Israelis and Lebanese civilians can return to their homes and live in peace and security.

“And to British nationals still in Lebanon, let me be very clear: for your own safety, leave now.”

Mr Lammy used his conference speech to repeatedly say “Britain is back” on the world stage following Labour’s general election victory.

He earlier said: “We understand Britain needs to work with its neighbours to flourish. We know that Britain’s strength is founded on its alliances.

“That is why we are resetting our relationship with Europe.”

Mr Lammy added: “We will reduce trade barriers to help boost business, jobs and economic growth.

“And we will seek a broad, ambitious new UK-EU security pact to strengthen co-operation on the shared threats we face enshrining a new geopolitical partnership because Britain is back, a leading nation in Europe once again.”

Israel-Palestine motions were tabled by some constituency Labour parties (CLPs) but the topic was not among those to secure enough votes to be listed for debate at conference.

The motions had contained various suggestions, including a “full arms embargo until Israel complies with international law” and a ban on “commercial dealings with illegal settlements”.