UK
There is a global consensus on ending the war in Gaza, says Yvette Cooper
President Trump’s envoy has reportedly approved plan that would see early return of hostages
September 28, 2025 10:37
President Trump’s envoy has reportedly approved plan that would see early return of hostages
September 28, 2025 10:37Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper has suggested there is an international consensus on ending the war in Gaza as Israel continues its military offensive in the Strip.
In an interview with the Guardian, she spoke of “a real, huge consensus building” at the United Nations. “I think we’ve reached a moment where the world wants to end this war.”
While the way forward was “incredibly hard”, she told the newspaper, “there was no doubt that there is a real sense of determination and energy behind trying to get an end to the war and to try and get not just an immediate ceasefire, but a proper plan for the future.”
Although Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the UN General Assembly last week denounced Western governments – which include the UK – for recognising a state of Palestine and gave no indication that Israel was about to stop fighting in Gaza, new initiatives to end the war have been gathering steam in recent weeks.
Emanuel Macron, president of France – one of the countries to have recognised a Palestine state – has said that a plan shared by US President Trump’s special envoy Steve Witkoff with Arab countries was a compatible with a separate plan backed at the UN.
According to the Times of Israel, the Witkoff plan would see the return of the remaining hostages in Gaza within 48 hours of Israel accepting it.
It envisaged the disarmament of Hamas, along with the demilitarisation of Gaza and deradicalisation of Gaza.
It also offered a “potential pathway” to a Palestinian state which the ToI said “appears to be a major departure from the Trump administration’s policy to date”.
Former British Prime Minister and international Middle East envoy Sir Tony Blair has reportedly been touted as the possible head of a transitional administration in Gaza post-War.
But Cooper gave no opinion on that idea, telling the Guardian that Blair had been “one of the people adding proposals to this process, and that’s been really important, but there have been lots of other processes as well”.
She said that there was no workable military solution and Israel’s actions in Gaza did not strengthen its security.
“For security for Israelis, as well as security for Palestinians and as well as dealing with this devastating humanitarian crisis,” she said. “I think the Israeli government urgently needs to change course.”
Meanwhile, New Zealand has bucked the international trend by deciding not to recognise Palestine, unlike Australia. The country’s Foreign Minister Winston Peters told the UN on Friday: “With a war raging, Hamas still in place, and no clarity on next steps, we do not think that time is now.”
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