Palestinian Territories: Development Support

Lord Polak Excerpts

Monday 1st September 2025 Lords Chamber

Asked by

[Lord Polak]

To ask His Majesty’s Government what steps, beyond the potential recognition of a Palestinian state, they are taking to support the development of the Palestinian territories, including best practice in governance, anti-corruption measures, and institutional capacity-building.

[The Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (Baroness Chapman of Darlington) (Lab)]

My Lords, the Government recognise that a reformed Palestinian Authority is essential to long-term stability and development, and in advancing a two-state solution. The UK continues to contribute substantial official development assistance for the OPTs, alongside providing humanitarian relief for Palestinians and support for Palestinian economic development. We will strengthen governance, accountability and civic space in the Occupied Palestinian Territories, including supporting the Palestinian Authority to deliver its reform agenda.

[Lord Polak (Con)]

I was at Kerem Shalom last week and saw full trucks going into Gaza and empty ones coming out. What talks have HMG had with COGAT to support the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, which gets food supplies directly to the people at no financial cost, as opposed to other agencies, where food is confiscated by Hamas, forcing the needy to pay?

Capacity building is important, but are we not wasting British taxpayers’ money when Palestinian textbooks for the new academic year—this year, and I am holding the book—are teaching 14 year-olds, on page 40, to lionise suicide bombers, praise Palestinian daggers slashing Israeli throats and call on students to remember the image of burned Israelis? Is there any point in sending the British people’s hard-earned cash to support a Palestinian state, when Palestinian children are being indoctrinated and incited by these grotesque images, and 48 hostages are still being held?

[Baroness Chapman of Darlington (Lab)]

I recognise and commend the work that the noble Lord does to bring about a future for the people of Israel and the people of Palestine. He knows and I know—and I think there is broad agreement—that the right future here is for a two-state solution. Our view is that the best way to bring that about, or when that does happen, is for there to be a Palestinian Authority that has the capacity and capability to be able to run the future state in a way that we would all wish to see.

The points that the noble Lord raises about textbooks are valid. That is one reason why we want to work with the Palestinian Authority to reform how this is done—and there are other issues, too, which I am sure will be raised in this exchange.

On the issue of food, I am glad that the noble Lord has been, and I am glad that he saw some aid trucks going in. However, the sad truth of this is that what is going in is a very small fraction of what is needed. More than 2,000 people have been killed trying to access aid through the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation; it is failing to deliver aid in the volume needed. The IPC has now designated famine, and we expect that thousands of children will die in the coming months unless the levels of aid are dramatically increased. I know that that is what the noble Lord wants to see as well—nobody in this Chamber is arguing that that is an acceptable situation. What we have to do is to work out how to persuade the Government of Israel, who are the only people who are able to allow that aid in, to get the aid, the medical supplies, the people and the water to where it is needed to save those lives, and that must be done immediately.