Asked by: Ayoub Khan (Independent - Birmingham Perry Barr)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether he has made representations to his Israeli counterpart on Israel's denying hon. Members entry into the West Bank.
Answered by Hamish Falconer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
As the Foreign Secretary has said, it is unacceptable, counterproductive, and deeply concerning that two British MPs on a parliamentary delegation to Israel have been detained and refused entry by the Israeli authorities. On 15 April, the Foreign Secretary met with his Israeli counterpart Gideon Sa'ar in London. The Foreign Secretary has made clear to his counterparts in the Israeli government that this is no way to treat British Parliamentarians.
Asked by: Ayoub Khan (Independent - Birmingham Perry Barr)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of his policy on arms trade with Israel.
Answered by Hamish Falconer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
We have continued to review export licences for items to Israel and assess that there are no extant licences for items that might be used to commit or facilitate a serious violation of International Humanitarian Law. This is subject to the specific measures set out to Parliament excluding exports to the global F-35 programme from the scope of the suspension. There are a number of export licences which we have assessed are not for use by the Israeli Defense Forces in military operations in Gaza and therefore do not require suspension. These include military items such as components for trainer aircraft or components for air defence systems, and other, non-military, items such as food-testing chemicals, telecoms, and data equipment.
Asked by: Ayoub Khan (Independent - Birmingham Perry Barr)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether UK-made F-35 parts have been used in airstrikes in Gaza since 18 March 2025.
Answered by Hamish Falconer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK's robust export licensing criteria states that the Government will not issue export licences if there is a clear risk that the items might be used to commit or facilitate serious violations of International Humanitarian Law (IHL). In September 2024, following an IHL review, we have suspended certain export licences to Israel where we have assessed there is a clear risk that they might be used to commit or facilitate serious violations of IHL. The suspension of relevant export licences for Israel will be kept under review and we hope to see evidence of sustained improvements that address concerns relating to IHL. We would not comment on speculation about future export licencing decisions.
Asked by: Ayoub Khan (Independent - Birmingham Perry Barr)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment he has made of the potential implications for his policies of the International Criminal Court’s granting of arrest warrants for the Israeli prime minister and former defence minister.
Answered by Hamish Falconer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
We respect the independence of the International Criminal Court (ICC) which is the primary international institution for investigating and prosecuting the most serious crimes of international concern. As the Foreign Secretary said last week, we urgently want to see a return to a ceasefire. Our focus is on urging all parties to return to talks, implement the ceasefire agreement in full and work towards a permanent peace.
Asked by: Ayoub Khan (Independent - Birmingham Perry Barr)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, if he will make representations to his Israeli counterpart on the killing of Hossam Shabat by Israeli forces; what steps he is taking to help increase the safety of journalists in conflict zones.
Answered by Hamish Falconer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The Government is deeply concerned about the safety of civilians, including journalists in Gaza, who are afforded protection under international humanitarian law. As international media are not permitted to work in Gaza, Palestinian journalists have been playing a crucial role in covering the impact of the conflict. This Government has been repeatedly clear that all civilians must be protected in Gaza. The Foreign Secretary reiterated this again in a joint statement with the Foreign Ministers of France and Germany on 21 March, which called on Israel to fully respect international law.
Asked by: Ayoub Khan (Independent - Birmingham Perry Barr)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of the steps his Department is taking to help prevent the use of UK-produced arms by Israel in (a) Gaza and (b) the Occupied Palestinian Territories.
Answered by Hamish Falconer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The Government is committed to maintaining a robust and transparent export control system. We will not grant an export licence if to do so would be inconsistent with the Criteria, including respect for human rights and International Humanitarian Law. The Criteria provide a thorough risk assessment framework and require us to carefully consider the impact of the export of items and their capabilities. As soon as the Foreign Secretary took office, he ordered a review into Israel's compliance with International Humanitarian Law, which concluded that there is a clear risk that UK export items might be used to commit or facilitate serious violations of International Humanitarian Law. On 2 September 2024 we suspended export licences to Israel for use in military operations in the Gaza Conflict. This does not, however, include exports to the global F-35 programme.
Asked by: Ayoub Khan (Independent - Birmingham Perry Barr)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of the Government's policy towards UK arms trade with Israel in complying with Criterion 2a and Criterion 2c of the Strategic Export Licencing Criteria.
Answered by Hamish Falconer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The Government is committed to maintaining a robust and transparent export control system. We will not grant an export licence if to do so would be inconsistent with the Criteria, including respect for human rights and International Humanitarian Law. The Criteria provide a thorough risk assessment framework and require us to carefully consider the impact of the export of items and their capabilities. As soon as the Foreign Secretary took office, he ordered a review into Israel's compliance with International Humanitarian Law, which concluded that there is a clear risk that UK export items might be used to commit or facilitate serious violations of International Humanitarian Law. On 2 September 2024 we suspended export licences to Israel for use in military operations in the Gaza Conflict. This does not, however, include exports to the global F-35 programme.
Asked by: Ayoub Khan (Independent - Birmingham Perry Barr)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, if he will make an assessment of the potential impact of the proposed reduction of the international development budget on the UK's international partnerships with developing nations.
Answered by Stephen Doughty - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The Prime Minister has set out a new strategic vision for government spending on defence and security, and official development assistance. Detailed decisions on how the Official Development Assistance (ODA) budget will be used will be worked through as part of the ongoing Spending Review on the basis of various factors including the likely impact on the UK's international partnerships with developing nations.
Asked by: Ayoub Khan (Independent - Birmingham Perry Barr)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, if he will make an assessment of the potential impact of the proposed reduction of the international development budget on the UK's soft power.
Answered by Hamish Falconer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The decision to reduce the UK's international development budget was not taken lightly and is a reflection of the extraordinary security challenge the world currently finds itself facing, specifically on Ukraine. Establishing a Soft Power Council reflects the continuing UK commitment to work more strategically on soft power. The UK has enormous soft power strengths and at this time of extraordinary challenges it is even more important that we bring our hard and soft power together as a force for good, to reinvigorate alliances and forge new partnerships. As the Foreign Secretary has noted, harnessing our soft power more effectively can help to build relationships, deepen trust, enhance our security and drive economic growth.
Asked by: Ayoub Khan (Independent - Birmingham Perry Barr)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, What assessment he has made of the implications for his policies of the ICJ Advisory Opinion on the Legal Consequences arising from the Policies and Practices of Israel in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem.
Answered by Hamish Falconer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK is fully committed to international law and respects the independence of the International Court of Justice (ICJ). We continue to consider the Court's Advisory Opinion carefully, with the seriousness and rigour it deserves. We are of the clear view that Israel should bring an end to its presence in the Occupied Palestinian Territories as rapidly as possible, but it must be done in a way that creates the conditions for negotiations towards the two-state solution.