Humanitarian Situation in Gaza Debate
Full Debate: Read Full DebateDepartment: Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office
Claire Hanna
Main Page: Claire Hanna (Social Democratic & Labour Party - Belfast South)Department Debates - View all Claire Hanna's debates with the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office
Humanitarian Situation in Gaza
Claire Hanna Excerpts(1 month ago)
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David Rutley
I do not know the detail of some of the earlier points the right hon. Gentleman raised, but I will welcome receiving that. My understanding and memory is that we put sanctions on two individuals. We keep this issue under constant review, because those actions and what happens in the settlements is important, given the implications that has for the west bank.
Claire Hanna (Belfast South) (SDLP)
The escalation of recent days is deeply worrying, with two nuclear-armed countries exchanging ballistics, and neither with any reputation for care of civilian lives and both with agendas of their own. That escalation has occupied the headlines, but the people of Gaza continue to suffer unrelenting military attacks and starvation. The rules-based order and international law have suffered lasting damage, including by the targeting of aid workers and medics. The UK’s influence with an out-of-control Netanyahu Government has yielded little, but one of the few legal tools available is the suspension of arms export licences. When will the Government use that?
David Rutley
As I said in a previous answer, our assessment on export licences remains unchanged. We have one of the most robust export systems in the world, enshrined in law through the Export Control Act 2022 and implemented through our strategic export licensing criteria. It is important that the hon. Lady recalls and notes not just the humanitarian situation in Gaza, but also what is happening through Iran’s destabilising activities.