G7 nations announce a unified stance on Israel-Hamas war after intensive meetings in Tokyo

Top diplomats from the G7 countries announced a unified stance on the Israel-Hamas war on Wednesday, condemning Hamas, supporting Israel’s right to self-defense, calling for “humanitarian pauses” to speed aid to desperate Palestinian civilians in the Gaza Strip, and looking to stop a spillover of fighting into the wider Middle East.

In a statement, the nations sought to balance criticism of Hamas' attacks against Israel and a push for “urgent action” to help civilians in the besieged Palestinian enclave in need of food, water, medical care and shelter.

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken and foreign ministers from Britain, Canada, France, Germany, Japan and Italy emphasized that they “support humanitarian pauses to facilitate urgently needed assistance, civilian movement and release of hostages.”

There was also condemnation of “the rise in extremist settler violence committed against Palestinians,” which the ministers said is “unacceptable, undermines security in the West Bank, and threatens prospects for a lasting peace.”

“This is a very important moment as well for the G7 to come together in the face of this crisis and to speak, as we do, with one clear voice,” Blinken told Japanese Foreign Minister Yoko Kamikawa, shortly after talks Tuesday with Prime Minister Fumio Kishida.

An early consensus on Gaza appeared to be building as at least four of the G7 members made statements in favor of a strong common stance.

Kishida said “the unity of G7 is needed more than ever with the situation in Israel and Palestine, the situation in Ukraine, and the challenges in the Indo-Pacific region,” his office said in a statement, adding that the prime minister “highly appreciates the leadership and diplomatic efforts by the Biden administration concerning this issue.”

“You have our utmost support,” Kamikawa told Blinken.

German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock said that “as G7 countries, we are making clear that Israel has the right and the duty to protect its population and its people in the framework of international law.”

She said that she has been discussing with many partners “how we can finally get humanitarian cease-fires off the ground, in terms of time and also geographically.”

Britain’s Foreign Secretary James Cleverly told a select group of journalists, including The Associated Press, that his government only supports a geographically specific “humanitarian pause” and not a wider cease-fire.

“Firstly, we have seen and heard absolutely nothing that makes us believe that Hamas leadership is serious about (a) cease-fire,” he said, adding that a cease-fire would hamper Israel’s ability to defend itself.

Blinken’s efforts include pushing to significantly expand the amount of humanitarian aid being sent to Gaza, getting Israel to agree to “pauses” in its military operation to allow that assistance to get in and more civilians to get out, beginning planning for a post-conflict governance and security structure in the territory and preventing the war from spreading.

Blinken described all of these as “a work in progress” and acknowledged deep divisions over the pause concept. Israel remains unconvinced and Arab and Muslim nations are demanding an immediate full cease-fire, something the United States opposes. There has also been resistance to discussing Gaza’s future, with the Arab states insisting that the immediate humanitarian crisis must be addressed first.

Blinken arrived in Tokyo from Turkey, the last stop on a four-day trip through the Mideast that began with visits to Israel, Jordan, the West Bank, Cyprus and Iraq. From Japan, he will travel to South Korea and then on to India.