Israel and Palestine

Kirsteen Sullivan Excerpts

Tuesday 8th September 2026 Commons Chamber

[Ed Miliband]

I say bluntly to the hon. Member that we should have acted earlier. It has taken the new Prime Minister to come in and recognise the gravity of the situation and the degree of public concern on these questions. We concur with the ICJ’s conclusions on the unlawfulness of the occupation and we will ensure that we abide by what that implies.

[Kirsteen Sullivan (Bathgate and Linlithgow) (Lab/Co-op)]

I thank the Secretary of State for his strong statement and extend to him the gratitude of my constituents who have already been in touch with me. I have spoken before in this place about the villagers of Jayyous in the west bank who have been living under constant intimidation and fear, with farmers unable to harvest their crops and children unable to get to school. Does he agree that the statement sends an important message to the people of Jayyous and those across Palestine that they are not alone and that their calls for solidarity and the rule of law to be upheld have been heard?

[Ed Miliband]

I feel moved by what my hon. Friend has asked. I really thank her for the work that she has been doing. As I thought long and hard about the statement and some of the words I used—one has to weigh one’s words carefully—I thought precisely that those people who are under, for example, settler terrorism and the attempts at ethnic cleansing deserve at least the truth to be told about what they are facing. So, absolutely, this is in part an expression of solidarity with the people my hon. Friend talks about.