On 19-21 July, British Prime Minister Gordon Brown visited Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territories.  He was accompanied by his wife Mrs Sarah Brown, and by the British Minister for Trade and Industry, Lord Digby Jones, a British business delegation and several senior British officials.

 

On the Palestinian side, on Sunday 20 July, Brown was briefed on the latest humanitarian situation in the West Bank and Gaza by the UN Office for the Co-ordination of Humanitarian Affairs.  This brief included the latest information on settlements, outposts and movement and access restrictions in the West Bank.

 

Afterwards, at the British Consulate in Jerusalem, Brown met with representatives of East Jerusalem society: Mrs Hanan Asharawi,  Mr Abdel Qader al-Huseenri,  Miss Hiba al-Husseini, Dr. Sari Nuseibeh, and Mr Mazen Kupti.  They discussed life for Palestinians in Jerusalem and the future of East Jerusalem institutions including Orient House.  Brown confirmed that Jerusalem must serve as the capital of two states and that Israel settlement expansion must stop in the East of the city as well as in the rest of the West Bank.  He also said that it was essential for the growth of the economy that Palestinians had improved access to the city and that steps were taken to re-open the Arab Chambers of Commerce, which is part of Israel's commitments under the Road Map.

 

Brown met President Abbas in his office in Bethlehem.  The two premiers discussed the Annapolis process and Brown expressed his support for Abbas and the historic undertaking in which the Palestinian President and Israeli Prime Minister Olmert are engaged. He reiterated Britain's support for a viable and prosperous Palestinian state, based on 1967 borders, living in peace and security with Israel with Jerusalem as the capital of two states.   He congratulated President Abbas on the steps Palestinians have taken to improve the capability of the security services to provide the reassurances that Israel needs and encouraged more work in this area.

 

President Abbas hosted a lunch for the Prime Minister where the two leaders exchanged gifts. At a joint press conference afterwards, Brown made two announcements of practical UK support. He announced a further commitment of $60m for Palestinian economic development, bringing the total of UK support to the Palestinian Authority (PA) this year to $175m. Of this, $30m will be disbursed now as support to the PA’s budget. He also announced a "Senior Leaders Course" for top Palestinian Security personnel from all the services.   This will reinforce the broader training effort by helping develop the future leaders in key areas.

 

Meanwhile, British Trade Minister Lord Digby Jones and Dr Hasan Abu Libdeh, CEO of the Palestine Investment Conference, hosted a UK-Palestine business event at the Jacir Palace in Bethlehem.   20 leading British businessmen, as well as the Chief Executive of UK Trade and Investment (Andrew Kahn), attended, representing such companies as British Telecom, Yahoo, Lloyds TSB and British Midlands. 

 

Brown and Prime Minister Fayyad held private discussion at the Jacir Palace and later gave speeches at the business conference.  In his speech, Brown congratulated Fayyad on the improvements Palestinians have made to the regulatory environment for business and investment which have made Palestine an attractive area for foreign investment in the region.  He described his long held believe that economic growth is not only something that emerges from peace: it is essential to it. It is therefore in Israeli as well as Palestinian interests that movement and access restriction in the West Bank are eased. He announced that as a follow up to the Palestine Investment Conference held in Bethlehem in May, that he had agreed with President Abbas and Prime Minister Fayyad that Britain will host a further conference in London later this year.

 

In Bethlehem, the Prime Minister's wife, Mrs Sarah Brown held a separate meeting with leading Palestinian women to discuss the role of women in Palestinian economic and political life.  In addition to the Minister for Tourism and Women Kholoud Duaibes who accompanied the Prime Minister's wife throughout her tour, she met with Khawla Al Uzrak from the Union of Women, Um Abdulla Dabdoob from the Bethlehem Union for Women, Diana Mubarak, the Manager of Social Affairs from the NGO 'Violence against Women', Dr. Nuha Khoury from Bethlehem University and Dr Jihan Anstas, Manager of the Peace Centre.  Later, she visited Aida refugee camp in Bethlehem with the UN Relief and Works Agency’s (UNRWA) Commissioner General Karen Abu Zayd.  There she had the opportunity to talk to the head of the camp’s Popular Committee (and Palestinian Legislative Council ‘PLC’ member) Mohammed Allaham and members of the Woman's Programme Centre to hear about their coping mechanisms in the midst of extreme poverty, and their aspirations for the future.

 

Lastly, Mr and Mrs Brown visited the Church of the Nativity where they were greeted by local children and representatives of the church, His Beatitude Patriarch Theophilos III (Greek Orthodox) Father Pierbattista Pizzaaballa (Franciscan) and Father Armini (Armenian).

 

At the end of the day Brown returned to Jerusalem for talks with Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert.  On Monday 21 of July he will address the Knesset - the first British Prime Minister to do so.

 

 

 

For more information on Prime Minister Gordon Brown’s visit to Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territories, Please contact Fadi Ali, mob: 0547712648. E-mail:  Fadi.ali@fco.gov.uk

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