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 his Department will establish a mechanism to monitor the impact of USAID cuts on programmes to (a) conflict-affected countries and (b) multilateral organisations; and whether he has made an assessment of the potential impact of the withdrawal of American funding from UNRWA on levels of UK funding.
Answered by Anneliese Dodds
We are currently working to assess the implications of the US funding pause across development sectors, geographic regions and multilateral organisations. We are gathering information and working with other donor partners to share analysis of the pause before making any 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, whether he has made an assessment of the potential merits of making Israel a Human Rights Priority country.
Answered by Hamish Falconer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK is committed to promoting and protecting human rights and rule of law around the world. On 10 December 2024, the Foreign Secretary and Lord Collins, Minister for Human Rights, set out their five priorities on human rights and democratic governance. Central to the strategic approach is the principle that human rights matter everywhere.
The UK is committed to improving the human rights situation in Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territories. We regularly call on Israel to abide by its obligations under 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, whether he has made representations to his Israeli counterpart on the killing of (a) Saher al-Qaran and (b) other Palestinians in Gaza since the ceasefire came into effect.
Answered by Hamish Falconer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
We cannot comment on individual cases, but we remain concerned by the situation in the West Bank and reiterate that Israel must ensure that civilians are protected. The Foreign Secretary has raised the situation in the West Bank and issues of international law compliance directly at the highest levels of the Israeli Government. This government is clear that international law must be upheld, and civilians protected.
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 (a) the killing of Sondos Jamal Muhammed Shalabi and (b) other actions in Nur Shams refugee camp.
Answered by Hamish Falconer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
We cannot comment on individual cases, but we remain concerned by the situation in the West Bank and reiterate that Israel must ensure that civilians are protected. The Foreign Secretary has raised the situation in the West Bank and issues of international law compliance directly at the highest levels of the Israeli Government. This government is clear that international law must be upheld, and civilians protected.
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, how many medical evacuations from Gaza to the UK have been (a) requested by the UK and (b) successfully conducted since 7 October 2023.
Answered by Hamish Falconer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
Officials from all relevant Whitehall departments are exploring avenues to ensure our support best meets the needs of the critically ill in Gaza, and we continue to support the provision of healthcare in Gaza and the region. The Government is keeping our humanitarian programme and existing policies on medical evacuations and visa pathways under review in response to events in Gaza.
The ceasefire provides a vital opportunity to increase the number of medical evacuations from Gaza. It is very positive that the Rafah crossing has reopened to support this. It is vital that Israel ensures that there is a sustained passage for patients who need treatment not available in Gaza, and the UK frequently engages with Israel to ensure critically ill patients receive the medical treatment they need.
We have announced £1 million for the Egyptian Ministry of Health and Population, delivered through World Health Organisation (WHO) Egypt, to support medically evacuated Palestinians from Gaza. The UK is also supporting the provision of essential healthcare to civilians in Gaza, including support to UK-MED who have now provided vital care to over 330,000 Gazans since the start of the conflict.
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, with reference to his correspondence of 8 January 2024 to the Chair of the Foreign Affairs Committee, if he will list the steps his Department takes to monitor the risk of genocide being committed as part of the Strategic Export Licensing Criteria process.
Answered by Hamish Falconer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
Criterion 1 of the Strategic Export Licensing Criteria states that the Government will not grant a licence if to do so would be inconsistent with the UK's international obligations and commitments. This includes the duty to prevent genocide under Article 1 of the Genocide Convention. We draw on a range of sources in making assessments, including NGOs, international organisations, and reporting from our overseas network. All licences are kept under careful and continual review as standard.
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 US counterpart on British citizens and their families impacted by that country's sanctions on the International Criminal Court.
Answered by Stephen Doughty - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
Successive UK and US administrations have taken a different view on the ICC - for example, the UK are signatories to the Rome Statute, the US are not. We support the independence of the ICC. Imposing sanctions against ICC officials impedes the Court's ability to carry out its important work prosecuting the most serious crimes of international concern. We will continue to engage with the US administration on all our priorities.
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 an estimate of the lives lost in Gaza since 7 October 2023.
Answered by Hamish Falconer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
Since October 2023, over 47,000 have been killed in Gaza and more than 90% of the population has been displaced, many people repeatedly so. Like many of our partners, the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office uses United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) figures to report on daily casualties in the current Gaza conflict. OCHA draws on figures issued from the Gazan Ministry of Health (MoH), which collates information on casualty statistics using a health information system derived from eight major hospitals across Gaza.
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 US counterpart on the revocation of sanctions against Israeli settlers in the Occupied Palestinian Territories; and what assessment he has made of the potential impact of that decision on UK sanctions.
Answered by Hamish Falconer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
As the Prime Minister said in the House on 22nd January, we are deeply concerned by what is happening in the West Bank. The Government continues to engage with the US at all levels on all our priorities, including security and stability in the Middle East. Sanctions are part of wider UK efforts to support a more stable West Bank and help bring accountability to those who have supported and perpetrated heinous abuses of human rights in the West Bank. Sanctions remain part of our broader political strategy and are designed to effect change, to pressurise, and send a clear signal regarding behaviours.
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, with reference to his oral statement of 16 January 2025 on the Middle East, Official report columns 511-513, what steps his Department is taking to help protect human rights organisations in Palestine, in the context of the killing of Ihab Fisal.
Answered by Hamish Falconer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
Human Rights are a crucial element underpinning the UK's foreign policy, and civil society organisations play an important role in upholding human rights. Through our aid programmes, we support human rights organisations in Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territories on a range of issues. I regularly meet with civil society organisations, including human rights organisations, to discuss the current humanitarian situation in Gaza.
We welcome the agreement to end the fighting in Gaza. It is the first step in ensuring long-term peace and security for Israelis, Palestinians and the wider region, bringing much-needed stability, but we have always been clear that an immediate ceasefire is just the first step towards a lasting solution to this crisis. Gazan civilians must be protected.