Israel and Gaza

Debate between Andrew Percy and Nigel Evans

Monday 20th May 2024 Commons Chamber

[Andrew Percy (Brigg and Goole) (Con)]

Facts are important, and the facts have not changed since 7 October. It is Hamas who embed themselves in civilian areas, use civilian institutions and put their own people at risk in this conflict. It is Hamas who have committed rapes as a weapon of war. It is Hamas who are still holding innocent civilians hostage. And it is Hamas who went into Israeli communities on 7 October and butchered 1,200 people, including slicing the breasts off women and the limbs off children. On the other side, we have the democratic, liberal state of Israel with an independent judicial process and a Supreme Court that is respected internationally and that the ICC is supposed to respect. Yet there are people in here who, from day one, have done very little to call out some of the other behaviour and everything to hold Israel to a standard they do not hold others to. That is why the Czech Prime Minister and the—[Interruption.]

[Mr Deputy Speaker (Mr Nigel Evans)]

Order. Please can everybody focus on a question? I am not quite sure that I heard a question there—[Interruption.] I think the Minister has heard enough to respond.

Points of Order

Debate between Andrew Percy and Nigel Evans

Monday 15th January 2024 Commons Chamber

[Andrew Percy (Brigg and Goole) (Con)]

Further to that point of order, Mr Deputy Speaker. As loth as I am to engage in this silliness, let me be absolutely clear to the hon. Lady that not only did I not reference her, but I have on numerous occasions—[Interruption.] If she will listen to my response, I have said on numerous occasions that too many people have failed to call out what I think is unacceptable behaviour. I have said that before, and I am not going to stop saying that, on occasion, I think people have given a free pass to this behaviour and have not dealt with it with a fair hand. That is an open point of debate. I have called out people on my own side for that—[Interruption.] Will she listen to me? It has absolutely nothing to do with this.

I do not want to engage in this silliness, but I say to the hon. Lady that I have absolutely no intention of implying that she is any way—[Interruption.] Let me respond. I have no intention of implying that she in any way supports that. I am sure she does not, I did not say that and I would never say it. However, I am also not going to not say what I think in this House or to stop calling people out. On this issue, I think too many people in this place are giving a free pass to one side while not acknowledging the horrors that the other side suffered.

[Mr Deputy Speaker (Mr Nigel Evans)]

I will allow that, on both sides, to stand on the record.