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<p>We have actively encouraged the parties back to dialogue. The Foreign Secretary
visited Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territories in August and urged Palestinian
President Abbas and Israeli PM Netanyahu to renew cooperation, and work towards further
confidence-building measures and dialogue. The Foreign Secretary welcomed the recent
decision by the Palestinian Authority & the Government of Israel to restore cooperation.
We encourage the parties to build on this momentum through further dialogue and compromise
to move towards a lasting solution to the conflict. We also welcomed the announcement,
on 13 August, of the suspension of annexation plans. Annexation would have been contrary
to international law, counterproductive to peace and a severe blow to prospects for
a two-state solution. We hope both of these developments can be used as a step towards
direct talks between the two sides. The UK stands ready to support.</p><p> </p>
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