BICOM

Prime Minister David Cameron yesterday completed his visit to the region, visiting the Teva pharmaceutical factory in Jerusalem before travelling to Bethlehem to meet Palestinian leaders.

Cameron met with Palestinian Authority (PA) President Mahmoud Abbas and during a joint press conference emphasised that both Abbas and Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu are partners for peace and wish to broker an agreement. However, he commented, “They both will have to take difficult and unpalatable decisions and sometimes – unpopular decisions for their constituencies in order to achieve that settlement, but I sense it is possible … I’m not saying it’s definite or even probable, but it’s certainly possible.” Cameron’s comment echoed US Secretary of State John Kerry, who told Congressional members on Wednesday that, “The level of mistrust is as large as any level of mistrust I’ve ever seen, on both sides … Neither believes the other is really serious.”

However, Cameron outlined Britain’s vision, saying, “we want to see a two-state solution with a viable independent Palestinian state on 1967 borders, with mutually agreed swaps, side-by-side with a secure Israel,” adding that Jerusalem should become a shared capital for Israel and a future Palestinian state. Asked about his assertion during his Knesset address on Wednesday that Israel is the homeland of the Jewish people, Cameron reiterated the point, explaining “To me this is what Israel is and what Israel will be. Jews were persecuted around the world … so the decision was taken that Israel should be a homeland for the Jewish people.” Cameron also took the opportunity to pledge £6million towards boosting Palestinian business, explaining, “Britain wants to help Palestine build strong institutions and a strong economy.”

Prior to meeting Abbas yesterday, Cameron met with former-Prime Minister Tony Blair, the Quartet’s Middle East envoy, whose remit focuses on Palestinian economic development. Earlier in the day, Cameron visited the Teva pharmaceutical plant in Jerusalem alongside Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and announced a £12.5million joint research fund for dementia between Teva and the UK government.