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December 18, 2023

U.K. and Germany Call for "Sustainable Ceasefire in Gaza"
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In a significant shift, British Foreign Secretary David Cameron and
German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock called for a "sustainable
ceasefire" in a joint article in The Sunday Times. The pair said efforts
should be focused on a two-state solution after the assault comes to an
end. The U.K. and Germany had previously declined to call for a
ceasefire and abstained from voting last week on the U.N. General
Assembly's ceasefire resolution.

Also on Sunday, French Foreign Minister Catherine Colonna called for an
"immediate and durable truce" while meeting with her Israeli counterpart
Eli Cohen in Tel Aviv, saying "too many civilians are being killed" in
Gaza.

This comes as U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin arrived in Israel
earlier today, where he is expected to focus talks on transitioning to a
"lower intensity" war. Austin traveled to Israel from Kuwait, where he
paid his respects after the death of Sheikh Nawaf al-Ahmad al-Sabah, the
emir of Kuwait, who was buried Sunday.

Meanwhile, the U.N. Security Council is voting today on a new resolution
calling for an "urgent and sustainable cessation of hostilities to allow
safe and unhindered humanitarian access in the Gaza Strip."


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