Asked by: Baroness Janke (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government how they expect the additional humanitarian aid for Gaza that they have called for can be distributed in light of the suspension of the funding of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK is appalled by allegations that the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) staff were involved in the 7 October attack against Israel, a heinous act of terrorism that the UK Government has repeatedly condemned. The UK is pausing any future funding of UNRWA whilst we review these concerning allegations.
However, we remain committed to getting humanitarian aid to the people in Gaza who desperately need it, and our decision to pause future funding to UNRWA has no impact on the UK's contribution to the humanitarian response. Our commitment to trebling aid to Gaza still stands and we are getting on with aid delivery through funding multiple implementing partners including other UN agencies and international and UK NGOs. This support is helping people in Gaza get food, water, shelter and medicines. The UK is providing £60 million in humanitarian assistance to support partners including the British Red Cross, UNICEF, the UN World Food Programme (WFP) and Egyptian Red Crescent Society (ERCS) to respond to critical food, fuel, water, health, shelter and security needs in Gaza.
Asked by: Baroness Janke (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what representations they have made to the government of Israel following the killing of a 15 year-old Palestinian boy who was shot in the back by Israeli forces on 9 September at the entrance to the Al-Arroub refugee camp.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK is alarmed by the numbers of Palestinians killed and injured in the Occupied Palestinian Territories. In our dialogue with the Israeli authorities we have recognised their legitimate need to deploy security measures to address this violence. We encourage them to deploy these in a way which minimises tension and use appropriate force. In instances where there have been accusations of excessive use of force, we have advocated swift, transparent investigations. The UK remains committed to a two-state solution, as the Foreign Secretary made clear during his recent visit to Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territories on 11-13 September.
Asked by: Baroness Janke (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what representations they have made to the government of Israel about the 45 Palestinian children who have so far been killed in 2023.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK is alarmed by the numbers of Palestinians killed and injured in the Occupied Palestinian Territories. In our dialogue with the Israeli authorities we have recognised their legitimate need to deploy security measures to address this violence. We encourage them to deploy these in a way which minimises tension and use appropriate force. In instances where there have been accusations of excessive use of force, we have advocated swift, transparent investigations. The UK remains committed to a two-state solution, as the Foreign Secretary made clear during his recent visit to Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territories on 11-13 September.
Asked by: Baroness Janke (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of (1) reports that leading Israeli public figures such as the former head of the Mossad intelligence agency, Tamir Pardo, and the former speaker of the Israeli parliament, Avraham Burg, have stated that the State of Israel is imposing a form of apartheid on the Palestinian people; and (2) the statement made by members of The Elders organisation, including Mary Robinson and Ban Ki-moon, after visiting the West Bank, of the “ever-growing evidence that the situation meets the international legal definition of apartheid”.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK is committed to making progress towards a two-state solution, as the Foreign Secretary made clear during his recent visit to Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territories on 11-13 September.
However, the UK does not agree with the use of this terminology. Any judgment on whether serious crimes under international law have occurred is a matter for judicial decision, rather than for governments or non-judicial bodies. As a friend of Israel, we have a regular dialogue on human rights. This includes encouraging the Government of Israel to abide by its obligations under international law and do all it can to uphold the values of equality for all.
Asked by: Baroness Janke (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessments they have made of the reported attacks on healthcare facilities in the Occupied Palestinian Territory.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The work of healthcare workers across the globe is vital and they must be protected when carrying out their critical work. During his call on 4 July with the Israeli chargé d'affaires in London, the Minister of State for the Middle East, Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon, urged Israel to safeguard access to healthcare and take proactive steps to guarantee the safety of civilians during Israeli operations in the West Bank. When the Foreign Secretary spoke with Israeli Foreign Minister Eli Cohen on July 5, he raised the UK's concerns about attacks on civilian infrastructure during their recent operation in Jenin.
Asked by: Baroness Janke (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking, in partnership with the international community, to protect Palestinian civilians and healthcare personnel.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The work of healthcare workers across the globe is vital and they must be protected when carrying out their critical work. During his call on 4 July with the Israeli chargé d'affaires in London, the Minister of State for the Middle East, Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon, urged Israel to safeguard access to healthcare and take proactive steps to guarantee the safety of civilians during Israeli operations in the West Bank. When the Foreign Secretary spoke with Israeli Foreign Minister Eli Cohen on July 5, he raised the UK's concerns about attacks on civilian infrastructure during their recent operation in Jenin.
Asked by: Baroness Janke (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking (1) to monitor, and (2) to support, investigations into all potential serious violations of international law in the Occupied Palestinian Territory; and what discussions they have had with government of Israel about the consequences of further violations.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
We repeatedly call on Israel to abide by its obligations under international law, and we have a regular dialogue with Israel on legal issues relating to the occupation. As the occupying power, we urge Israel to fulfil its responsibilities, including ensuring the protection of the civilian population. I [Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon, the Minister of State for the Middle East] made this clear most recently in a meeting with the Israeli chargé d'affaires on July 4.
Asked by: Baroness Janke (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the statement made by the UN on 12 July that: "The forced eviction and displacement of the Ghaith-Sub Laban family and many other Palestinian families in east Jerusalem may amount to a war crime of forcible transfer".
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK is clear that in all but the most exceptional of circumstances, demolitions and evictions are contrary to international humanitarian law. As David Rutley, Minister of State for the Americas and the Caribbean said in Parliament on 18 July, the practice causes unnecessary suffering and is harmful to efforts to promote peace. The UK is appalled by the eviction of the Ghaith-Sub Laban family from their home of over 70 years in the Old City of Jerusalem. Any judgment on whether serious crimes under international law have occurred is a matter for judicial decision, rather than for governments or non-judicial bodies.
Asked by: Baroness Janke (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the reports by Yesh Din (1) Law Enforcement On Israeli Civilians In The West Bank (Settler Violence), published in December 2022, which found that 93 per cent of complaints made to Israeli police regarding settler violence, or ideologically motivated crimes, against Palestinian civilians are closed without indictments, and (2) Law Enforcement Against Israeli Soldiers Suspected Of Harming Palestinians And Their Property, which found that less than one per cent of complaints regarding harm caused to Palestinians by Israeli soldiers resulted in an indictment filed against the soldier.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
We take note of a number of sources of information and continue to monitor the security situation in Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territories (OPTs). We regularly raise the issue of the numbers of Palestinians killed and injured by Israeli Defence Forces in the West Bank and Gaza with the Israeli authorities. When there are accusations of excessive force, we encourage them to carry out swift, transparent and thorough investigations and, if wrongdoing is found, that those responsible be held to account. We stress the importance of the Israeli security forces providing appropriate protection to the Palestinian civilian population, particularly the need to protect children, and urge restraint in the use of live fire. I [Lord (Tariq) Ahmad of Wimbledon] also raised this point with the Israeli Government during my visit to Israel and the OPTs in January.
Asked by: Baroness Janke (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of reports by Medical Aid for Palestinians that Palestinians are prevented from accessing life-saving medical equipment and supplies by Israeli forces in the Occupied Palestinian Territories and Gaza.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
We ask Israel to allow access into and out of Gaza and the West Bank, in accordance with international humanitarian law, for humanitarian actors, reconstruction materials and those, including Palestinians, travelling for medical purposes. The British Embassy in Tel Aviv regularly raises the importance of this issue with the Israeli authorities. We strongly condemn all forms of violence and incitement to violence directed towards healthcare workers. The wounded and critically ill in Gaza and the West Bank should be able to access the urgent medical care they need. The UK government welcomes any effort to cooperate between the Israeli and Palestinian peoples, including in the healthcare sector. When the Foreign Secretary wrote to his Israeli counterpart Eli Cohen on 10 May, he asked him to allow humanitarian access to Gaza following recent Israeli airstrikes there.