The UK, Australia, and Canada announced Thursday an “International Peace Fund” for Israelis and Palestinians, meant to “support peacebuilding efforts to establish the conditions for a lasting peace.”

The three countries will give £1 million ($1.3 million) each over the next three years, with the hope that other countries will contribute. Israeli and Palestinian civil society organizations will be eligible, according to a joint statement by UK Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper and her Australian and Canadian counterparts, Penny Wong and Anita Anand.

It will invest in initiatives that “advance a two-state solution, help reduce division, strengthen civil society, and support dialogue and cooperation within and between Israeli and Palestinian communities, building the foundations for peace.”

The effort comes as hopes for Israeli-Palestinian peace are widely considered dim following the Hamas-led October 7, 2023, invasion of Israel and subsequent war in Gaza, as well as a surge in settler violence in the West Bank.

“We are doing so at a moment of acute crisis in Israel and Palestine,” the top diplomats said. “The last three years have exacted a devastating and dehumanizing toll on civilians and deepened mistrust and division between communities. At the same time, civil society has faced increasing restrictions and........

© The Times of Israel