The UK Foreign Secretary, David Cameron, has recognized Nigeria as an Islamic state as he engaged with Muslim states and Arab countries in London to address the Israel-Hamas conflict.

This follows the agreement reached between Israel and Hamas for coordinated hostage releases and a 4-day pause in the fighting.

In a press statement titled “Foreign Secretary commits to working closely with Islamic states on the Israel-Gaza crisis at the Lancaster House meeting,“ Cameron emphasized the importance of allowing humanitarian organizations to bring in more fuel so they can carry out lifesaving work unimpeded, including powering hospitals or desalination plants, which supply 80% of Gaza’s water.   

The statement reads, “Foreign ministers from Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Egypt, the Palestinian Authority, Turkey, Indonesia, and Nigeria attended the event in London. The group, formed as a ‘Peace Committee’ at the Joint Arab Islamic Extraordinary Summit, held in Riyadh on November 11, is visiting the capitals of Permanent Members of the UN Security Council.”

The Foreign Secretary also discussed with the leaders how to reinvigorate diplomatic efforts towards a viable two-state solution, which provides security for both Israelis and Palestinians, and restated the UK’s condemnation of the rise in settler violence in the West Bank.   

He committed to continued UK support to prevent a wider regional escalation, including in Lebanon and Yemen.  

Foreign Secretary David Cameron said, “Today I chaired a meeting of leaders from Arab countries and other Islamic states on the situation in Israel and Gaza.  

“The agreement reached last night is an important opportunity to get the hostages out and more aid into Gaza to help the Palestinian people.   

“We discussed how to use this step forward to think about the future and how we can build a peaceful future that provides security for Israel but also peace and stability for the Palestinian people.”

The UK has recently announced £30 million in additional aid to the Occupied Palestinian Territories, more than doubling the existing aid commitment for this year (£27 million).