UK, Australia and Canada launch international funding mechanism to support peace between Israelis and Palestinians – i24NEWS

Each government contributed approximately $1.3 million, for total initial funding of nearly $4 million. Once operational, the fund will seek to attract new donors in order to expand its action.

The announcement comes a few days after the coordinated imposition of sanctions by London, Ottawa, Canberra and several Western partners against networks accused of financing violence committed by residents of settlements in Judea and Samaria.

British Foreign Minister Yvette Cooper welcomed her Australian counterparts Penny Wong and Canadian Anita Anand for discussions focusing in particular on the Strait of Hormuz, the Middle East, Ukraine, Sudan and the fight against violence against women.

According to the three governments, the new fund will finance local projects aimed at rebuilding trust between the Israeli and Palestinian communities. Investments will concern both existing programs and new initiatives, with particular attention paid to civil society organizations, youth movements and projects led by women.

The three ministers also reaffirmed their support for the disarmament and dismantling of Hamas as part of a twenty-point peace plan for Gaza.

“When generations of Israelis and Palestinians have grown up in cycles of conflict and violence, we must also support local organizations that build dialogue, peace and trust between communities,†said Yvette Cooper.

The head of British diplomacy added that a negotiated two-state solution remained, according to her, “the only viable path towards a just and lasting peace, guaranteeing security and dignity for Israelis and Palestinians alike”.

The ministers also discussed the global rise in anti-Semitism, a phenomenon they described as a growing concern requiring a coordinated response from the international community.