UK, Australia, Canada launch $4m peace fund for Israel-Palestine conflict

Britain, Australia and Canada have launched a joint peace fund to advocate for a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, with each country contributing £1m ($1.34m) to ⁠the initiative.

The fund, which was announced on Thursday, will focus on new and existing grassroots projects – particularly those that include youth ‌groups, ⁠civil society organisations and women, according to a news release from the United Kingdom foreign ministry.

The move comes after the three countries – alongside France, New Zealand, and Norway – announced coordinated sanctions against networks financing and executing Israeli settler violence against Palestinians in the illegally occupied West Bank earlier this week.

The Western countries’ response follows record illegal settlement expansion and rising violence by Israelis in the West Bank.

“Peace, justice and security in the Middle East depends on a two-state solution and it is why our countries have recognised the State of Palestine alongside the State of Israel,” British Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper said in the statement.

“But too often Middle East peace is seen as an issue only of international diplomacy. When generations of Israelis and Palestinians have grown up with cycles of conflict and violence, we also need to support the local community organisations who are building dialogue, peace and trust across communities.”

In addition to providing humanitarian support to Palestinians, the initiative also aims to crack down on “violent” Israeli settlers, and support United States President Donald Trump’s 20-point Gaza peace plan .

The fund is focused on “long-term peacebuilding between Israelis and Palestinians to address root causes of conflict”, the ministry said.