Great Britain, Australia and Canada have launched a joint peace fund to promote a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Each country will contribute £1 million ($1.34 million) to the fund. “Armenpress”Al Jazeera reports about this.
According to a press release from the UK Foreign Office, the fund will focus on new and existing grassroots projects, particularly those involving youth groups, civil society organizations and women.
The move comes after the three countries, along with France, New Zealand and Norway, announced earlier this week coordinated sanctions against networks that perpetrate and fund violence against Palestinians by Israeli settlers in the occupied West Bank.
The reaction of the Western countries came against the background of the expansion of illegal settlements by the Israelis in the West Bank and the increase of violence.
“Peace, justice and security in the Middle East depend on a two-state solution, and that is why our countries have recognized the State of Palestine together with the State of Israel,” British Foreign Minister Yvette Cooper said in a statement.
In addition to providing humanitarian aid to the Palestinians, the initiative also reportedly aims to crack down on Israeli settlers and support US President Donald Trump’s 20-point plan for peace in Gaza.
