West Bank: Forced Displacement Debate
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Mike Martin
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West Bank: Forced Displacement
Mike Martin Excerpts(2 days, 6 hours ago)
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Mike Martin (Tunbridge Wells) (LD)
It is actually worse than just importing goods from the settlements. We are receiving tariffs from their import, so the British Government are making money from that import of goods. Would the Minister speak to that in his closing remarks?
Chris Law
I thank the hon. Member for raising an important point about tariffs. I was going to come on to that, but thankfully it has now been covered, which I appreciate.
The bottom line is that, surely the rights and lives of Palestinians—as I have just stated—are of equal value to those of Ukrainians. The Minister has recognised that what the Israeli Government are doing is
“a deliberate obstacle to Palestinian statehood.”
I agree, yet the UK Government continue to refuse to recognise a Palestinian state while Israel continues to breach international law.
Talk is cheap; it is deeds that matter. Human rights and the application of international law are equal—they are not transactional. They cannot be bargained with or traded away. The UK’s policy of condemnation has completely failed, so it must now act. Failure to do so is complicity and cowardice.