British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak discussed bilateral relations, Northern Ireland and the situation in the Gaza Strip in a telephone conversation with his Irish counterpart Simon Harris on Wednesday.
Mr. Harris and Mr. Sunak discussed the humanitarian crisis in Gaza, the war in Ukraine, the renewed power exchange in Northern Ireland, developments after Brexit and the recent North-South Ministerial Council.
Mr. Harris said that “the UK-Ireland relationship is of great importance” and he would continue to build on it. A statement by the UK Prime Minister’s Office said:
They agreed that the restoration of the devolved institutions underpinned and deepened the British-Irish bilateral relationship.
The ministers touched on the military action in the Gaza Strip, agreeing on the “unconditional release of the remaining hostages” while expressing “grave concern” about the deteriorating humanitarian situation and the need for Israel to accelerate the delivery of aid to Gaza.
Britain’s minister “reiterated his position that a two-state solution provides the best basis for a political settlement,” the statement added.
Israel has been waging a military offensive on the Gaza Strip since a cross-border attack by the Palestinian group Hamas on 7 October that killed about 1,200 people, with 250 taken prisoner.
33,500 Palestinians have been killed in Gaza since the war began, 85 per cent of Gaza’s population has been displaced amid severe shortages of food, clean water and medicine, and much of the enclave’s infrastructure has been damaged or destroyed.
Israel is accused of genocide at the International Court of Justice (ICJ), which has called on it to do more to prevent famine in Gaza.
Sunak also congratulated Harris on his appointment. Harris, 37, became Ireland’s youngest ever prime minister on Tuesday, succeeding Leo Varadkar, who resigned unexpectedly last month.
The prime ministers’ talk took place on the 26th anniversary of the signing of the Belfast Agreement (Good Friday) between the British and Irish governments on 10 April 1998. The agreement largely ended the violence of the period known as the Troubles, which had lasted since the 1960s and in which more than 3,500 people died.
