Details of Cameron’s Plan to ‘Exit the Bottleneck’ in Gaza

UK Foreign Secretary David Cameron. (Reuters)
UK Foreign Secretary David Cameron. (Reuters)
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Details of Cameron’s Plan to ‘Exit the Bottleneck’ in Gaza

UK Foreign Secretary David Cameron. (Reuters)
UK Foreign Secretary David Cameron. (Reuters)

David Cameron, Britain’s foreign secretary, has signaled that the UK is exploring the possibility of recognizing a Palestinian state and has encouraged allies to do the same at the UN.

Speaking to the Conservative Middle East Council in London, Cameron stressed the importance of offering Palestinians a political perspective to promote peace in the Middle East.

He suggested that a new Palestinian Authority led by technocrats should govern Gaza.

Cameron, currently on his fourth Middle East tour since taking office in November, mentioned that a potential pathway is emerging, and progress toward a political solution could mean lasting peace.

In the wake of Cameron’s statements and a perceived shift in London’s foreign policy on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, diplomatic sources revealed to Asharq Al-Awsat details of the British plan to resolve the issue.

Palestinian state

The plan includes steps such as initiating a ceasefire in Gaza and ultimately establishing a Palestinian state.

Informed sources familiar with ongoing talks between Britain and international and regional parties about post-war arrangements in Gaza told Asharq Al-Awsat that Cameron has recently taken diplomatic steps and engaged in active communication with various concerned parties.

His proposals involve measures like halting fighting in Gaza, increasing humanitarian aid, working on the release of hostages and the exchange of prisoners.

The plan also includes political arrangements aiming for significant changes on both the Palestinian and Israeli sides.

The goal is to pave the way for Gaza’s reconstruction and establish a Palestinian state along the 1967 borders, with international recognition, including from the UN.

Responding to questions from Asharq Al-Awsat, the UK’s Foreign and Commonwealth Office reiterated Cameron’s stance.

It emphasized the importance of giving Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza a credible political path leading to a Palestinian state and a new future—a step that cannot be reversed.

The Office stated that the UK and its allies can assist by confirming commitment to a sovereign and viable Palestinian state, stressing the significance of recognition, including at the UN.

Speaking at a reception for Arab ambassadors at the House of Commons on Monday, Cameron said: “If the last 30 years tells us anything, it is a story of failure.”

“Ultimately it is a story of failure for Israel because yes, they had a growing economy, yes they had rising living standards, yes they invested in defense and security and walls and the rest of it, but they couldn't provide what a state most wants, what every family wants, which is security. And so the last 30 years has been a failure,” continued Cameron.

“And it is only by recognizing that failure and recognizing that true peace and progress will come when the benefits of peace and progress are greater than the benefits of returning to fighting,” he added.

New western orientation

Recent developments, both in public statements and private discussions, indicate a fresh direction in London’s decision-making circles.

The aftermath of the recent Gaza war is viewed as a critical opportunity to actively pursue a lasting solution to the conflict, putting an end to the long-standing cycle of violence.

Sources highlight a noticeable change in the UK’s foreign policy regarding the Gaza war and future plans. There is now clear talk about the need to work towards “lasting political solutions,” centered on establishing a recognized Palestinian state.

This represents a significant departure from past approaches that mainly relied on negotiations between Palestinians and Israelis for a two-state solution.

The shift reflects a change in Western perspectives on finding real resolutions to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

No role for Hamas

Regarding the role of the Hamas movement and its potential involvement in future political arrangements, sources stressed the UK’s unwavering position.

There is a strong rejection of any role for Hamas in governing Gaza or participating in any Palestinian government in the upcoming phase.

Transitional arrangements ultimately aim to lead to general elections resulting in the formation of a new Palestinian leadership.



Israel's Bedouin Communities Use Solar Energy to Stake Claim to Land

This aerial view shows solar panels at an electricity-generation plant for the Bedouin community in the village of Tirabin al-Sana in Israel's southern Negev desert Photo: Menahem KAHANA
This aerial view shows solar panels at an electricity-generation plant for the Bedouin community in the village of Tirabin al-Sana in Israel's southern Negev desert Photo: Menahem KAHANA
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Israel's Bedouin Communities Use Solar Energy to Stake Claim to Land

This aerial view shows solar panels at an electricity-generation plant for the Bedouin community in the village of Tirabin al-Sana in Israel's southern Negev desert Photo: Menahem KAHANA
This aerial view shows solar panels at an electricity-generation plant for the Bedouin community in the village of Tirabin al-Sana in Israel's southern Negev desert Photo: Menahem KAHANA

At the end of a dusty road in southern Israel, beyond a Bedouin village of unfinished houses and the shiny dome of a mosque, a field of solar panels gleams in the hot desert sun.

Tirabin al-Sana in Israel's Negev desert is the home of the Tirabin (also spelled Tarabin) Bedouin tribe, who signed a contract with an Israeli solar energy company to build the installation.

The deal has helped provide jobs for the community as well as promote cleaner, cheaper energy for the country, as the power produced is pumped into the national grid.

Earlier this month, the Al-Ghanami family in the town of Abu Krinat a little further south inaugurated a similar field of solar panels.
Bedouin families have for years tried and failed to hold on to their lands, coming up against right-wing groups and hardline government officials.

Demolition orders issued by Israeli authorities plague Bedouin villages, threatening the traditionally semi-nomadic communities with forced eviction.

But Yosef Abramowitz, co-chair of the non-profit organisation Shamsuna, said solar field projects help them to stake a more definitive claim.
"It secures their land rights forever," he told AFP.

"It's the only way to settle the Bedouin land issue and secure 100 percent renewable energy," he added, calling it a "win, win".

For the solar panels to be built, the land must be registered as part of the Bedouin village, strengthening their claim over it.

Roughly 300,000 Bedouins live in the Negev desert, half of them in places such as Tirabin al-Sana, including some 110,000 who reside in villages not officially recognised by the government.

This aerial view shows solar panels at an electricity-generation plant for the Bedouin community in the village of Tirabin al-Sana in Israel's southern Negev desert
This aerial view shows solar panels at an electricity-generation plant for the Bedouin community in the village of Tirabin al-Sana in Israel's southern Negev desert Photo: Menahem KAHANA
Villages that are not formally recognied are fighting the biggest battle to stay on the land.

Far-right groups, some backed by the current government of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, have stepped up efforts in the past two years to drive these families away.
A sharp increase in home demolitions has left the communities vulnerable and whole families without a roof over their heads.

"Since 2023, more than 8,500 buildings have been demolished in these unrecognized villages," Marwan Abu Frieh, from the legal aid organization Adalah, told AFP at a recent protest in Beersheva, the largest city in the Negev.

"Within these villages, thousands of families are now living out in the open, an escalation the Negev has not witnessed in perhaps the last two decades."

Tribes just want to "live in peace and dignity", following their distinct customs and traditions, he said.

Gil Yasur, who also works with Shamsuna developing critical infrastructure in Bedouin villages, said land claims issues were common among Bedouins across the Negev.
Families who include a solar project on their land, however, stand a better chance of securing it, he added.

"Then everyone will benefit -- the landowners, the country, the Negev," he said. "This is the best way to move forward to a green economy."

In Um Batin, a recognised village, residents are using solar energy in a different way –- to power a local kindergarten all year round.

Until last year, the village relied on power from a diesel generator that polluted the air and the ground where the children played.

Now, a hulking solar panel shields the children from the sun as its surface sucks up the powerful rays, keeping the kindergarten in full working order.

"It was not clean or comfortable here before," said Nama Abu Kaf, who works in the kindergarten.
"Now we have air conditioning and a projector so the children can watch television."

Hani al-Hawashleh, who oversees the project on behalf of Shamsuna, said the solar energy initiative for schools and kindergartens was "very positive".

"Without power you can't use all kinds of equipment such as projectors, lights in the classrooms and, on the other hand, it saves costs and uses clean energy," he said.

The projects are part of a pilot scheme run by Shamsuna.

Asked if there was interest in expanding to other educational institutions that rely on polluting generators, he said there were challenges and bureaucracy but he hoped to see more.

"We need people to collaborate with us to move this forward," he said, adding that he would "love to see a solar energy system in every village".