UK, Australia and Canada establish $4m peace fund for Israel-Palestine
Foreign ministers announce joint funding ahead of London meeting, following coordinated sanctions against settler violence networks.
The United Kingdom, Australia, and Canada have established a joint $4 million peace fund designed to advance a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Each nation is contributing £1 million ($1.34 million) to the initiative, which will be administered through grassroots projects involving youth groups, civil society organisations, and women.
The announcement was made on Thursday ahead of a meeting in Britain between UK Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper, Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong, and Canadian Foreign Minister Anita Anand. According to a news release from the UK foreign ministry, the fund aims to support long-term peacebuilding by addressing the root causes of conflict within local communities rather than relying solely on high-level diplomacy.
Cooper emphasised that peace, justice, and security in the Middle East depend on a two-state solution, a stance reflected in the three nations’ recognition of the State of Palestine alongside the State of Israel. She stated that the fund would support local organisations building dialogue and trust, noting that a negotiated two-state solution remains the only viable route to a just and lasting peace.
The initiative has three primary operational objectives: providing humanitarian support to Palestinians, cracking down on violent Israeli settler activity, and supporting US President Donald Trump’s 20-point Gaza peace plan. The fund will seek to scale up and attract additional donors once it becomes operational.
This financial commitment follows coordinated sanctions implemented earlier this week by the three countries, alongside France, New Zealand, and Norway. These measures target networks financing and executing Israeli settler violence in the West Bank, a response to record illegal settlement expansion and rising violence in the territory.
Since October 7, 2023, the West Bank has experienced almost daily violence involving Israeli troops and settlers, resulting in more than 1,000 Palestinian deaths according to the United Nations. A UN inquiry found that Israeli authorities were directly involved in settler attacks that killed, injured, and displaced Palestinians, while Israeli forces provided protection for settlers.
