Violence in the West Bank

Debate between Grahame Morris and Anne-Marie Trevelyan

Tuesday 4th July 2023 Commons Chamber

[Anne-Marie Trevelyan]

As I have said, we continue to work with partners and allies on the two-state solution. Indeed, we call on all those caught up in the violence today to show restraint and to de-escalate the situation so that the violence can come to a halt and we can ensure that those casualties are able to receive treatment.

[Grahame Morris (Easington) (Lab)]

My good and hon. Friend the Member for Cynon Valley (Beth Winter) was absolutely correct in her remarks and I thank her for securing this urgent question. I visited the refugee camp at Jenin in 2012 and saw some of the clinics and schools; to say that the conditions were grim is an understatement. What we have seen over the past day or two is an attack by Israeli security forces on a refugee camp, using missiles against children, parents, the elderly and the vulnerable. This is not about Israel defending itself. Even the White House has stated that it is tyranny. When will the UK Government intervene not just with words to condemn those actions, but with something in practical terms to support the Palestinian people undergoing such appalling oppression?

[Anne-Marie Trevelyan]

The UK’s position on the middle east peace process is clear and we will continue to support a negotiated settlement, which leads to a safe and secure Israel living side by side with a viable and sovereign Palestinian state, based on the 1967 borders. In the short term, we are calling very firmly, as are all partners around the world, on Israeli defence forces to show the required level of restraint to ensure that the violence ceases in Jenin refugee camp as soon as possible.

Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between Grahame Morris and Anne-Marie Trevelyan

Tuesday 6th July 2021 Commons Chamber

[Grahame Morris (Easington) (Lab)]

  The Government’s refusal to act on the recommendations of the Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy Committee’s report is nothing short of a complete and total betrayal of retired mineworkers and their widows. Notwithstanding the Minister’s reply about ongoing discussions on the sharing arrangements, why are the Government blocking the transfer of £1.2 billion of the miners’ own money from the reserve fund to immediately uplift the pensions of miners and their widows struggling to make ends meet?

[Anne-Marie Trevelyan]

That fund—one might describe it as a backstop—is there for support if there is a need to increase pensions. I am pleased to continue discussions with the trustees to look at potential solutions for the years ahead as the number of miners reduces and the investment pot needs to be looked at differently.