London, Thanasis Gavos

In favor of a “sustainable ceasefire” in the war in Gaza, in a joint article published in the Sunday Times and Welt am Sontag, the foreign ministers of the United Kingdom and Germany, David Cameron and Analena Burbock.

The intervention is seen as a change of attitude by the British government, which until now was in favor of humanitarian ceasefires but against a ceasefire.

The two ministers note that “too many civilians have been killed” and that Israel must try harder to adequately separate Hamas terrorists from civilians. They warn that while Israel has the right to self-defense, “in doing so it must comply with international humanitarian law.”

Lord Cameron and Ms Burbock add that “Israel will not win this war if its operations destroy the prospect of peaceful coexistence with the Palestinians”.

However, the article rejects an immediate ceasefire without conditions, noting: “Our goal cannot simply be an end to the conflict today. It must be a peace that will last for days, years, generations. We therefore support a ceasefire, but only if it is sustainable. (…) We do not believe that calling at this time for a general and immediate truce, hoping that it will somehow become permanent, is the right course. It ignores why Israel is obligated to defend itself: Hamas brutally attacked Israel and still fires rockets to kill Israeli civilians every day.”

Meanwhile, the British government has not until Monday morning commented on the information about the launch of a humanitarian aid mission to Gaza by sea from Cyprus, as part of the Cypriot government’s maritime humanitarian corridor initiative.

The only report so far, from Britain’s Politico, is of the Royal Navy’s auxiliary landing ship Lyme Bay sailing from the island at the weekend, loaded with humanitarian aid.