The US has reaffirmed its opposition to recognising a Palestinian state, setting the stage for diplomatic discussions with the UK, which recently decided to recognise Palestinian statehood.
Speaking on Friday during his visit to the UK, US Vice President JD Vance said the issue would form part of talks with Foreign Secretary David Lammy.
“Obviously, the UK is going to make its decision. We have no plans to recognise a Palestinian state," Vance said at Chevening House in Kent.
“I don’t know what it would mean to really recognise a Palestinian state, given the lack of functional government there. And what the president has made very clear is our two goals are very simple right now, vis-a-vis the situation in Israel and Gaza," he said.
"Number one, we want to make it so that Hamas cannot attack innocent Israeli civilians ever again, and we think that has to come through the eradication of Hamas," he added.
Secondly, he said, "The president has been very moved by these terrible images of the humanitarian crisis in Gaza. So, we want to make sure that we solve that problem."
Vance tight-lipped on talks with Israel
"I think all of us can work on how to solve that problem. Obviously, it’s not an easy problem to solve, or it would have already been dealt with, but we share, I think, that focus and that goal," he added.
“We may have some disagreements about how exactly to accomplish that goal, and we’ll talk about that today."
Asked whether the US was given prior warning of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s decision to order the occupation of Gaza City, Vance said he was not going to discuss “private conversations.”
He said he expected Trump to speak to the media himself about the matter.
Vance reiterated the US stance on Hamas and humanitarian aid, saying: "We're not going to know exactly how to solve a very complicated problem. As the president has said himself, people, in some ways, have been fighting for thousands of years. If it was easy to bring peace to that region of the world it would have been done already."
UK 'hugely concerned'
Meanwhile, UK Foreign Secretary David Lammy expressed concern over recent developments in Gaza.
“The truth is, what we all want to see is a ceasefire. What we all want to see is the hostages come out. And we are hugely concerned by the humanitarian suffering that we're seeing in Gaza, particularly so. It is bringing back to an end that we want to see."
“I am concerned about what is developing in Gaza at this time and the recent decision by the Cabinet, and hugely concerned, as I think a lot of Israeli people are, about the impact, particularly on the hostages, and we'll be able to discuss these issues in the hours ahead.”
Israel’s Security Cabinet approved Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s plan to fully occupy Gaza City, the premier's office announced early Friday.
Israel has already been facing mounting outrage over its destructive war on Gaza, where more than 61,000 people have been killed since October 2023. The military campaign has devastated the enclave and brought it to the verge of famine.
About 1,200 people were killed in Israel during the 7 October 2023 attacks by Hamas and around 250 were taken captive. Fifty hostages still remain in the territory, and at least 20 of them are believed to be alive.
Last November, the International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants for Netanyahu and his former Defence Minister Yoav Gallant for war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza.
Israel also faces a genocide case at the International Court of Justice for its war on the enclave.
