Asked by: Nadia Whittome (Labour - Nottingham East)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, if he will increase UK aid to Gaza.
Answered by Andrew Mitchell
There is a desperate need for increased humanitarian support to Gaza. The Foreign Secretary discussed the urgency of getting significantly more aid into Gaza to alleviate the desperate situation there with Prime Minister Netanyahu on 24 January. He reiterated the need for Israel to open more crossing points into Gaza, for Nitzana and Kerem Shalom to be open for longer, and for Israel to support the UN to distribute aid effectively across the whole of Gaza. An immediate pause is now necessary to get aid in and hostages out.
Israel must take steps, working with other partners including the UN and Egypt, to significantly increase the flow of aid into Gaza including allowing prolonged humanitarian pauses, opening more routes into Gaza and restoring and sustaining water, fuel and electricity.
We have trebled our aid commitment for this financial year and are working closely with partners in international agencies and in the region to increase access. We have supported the United Nations World Food Programme to deliver a new humanitarian land corridor from Jordan into Gaza. 750 tonnes of life-saving food aid arrived in the first delivery and 315 tonnes in the second delivery. The Foreign Secretary's Representative for Humanitarian Affairs in the Occupied Palestinian Territories, Mark Bryson-Richardson, is based in the region and is working intensively to address the blockages preventing more aid reaching Gaza.
Asked by: Nadia Whittome (Labour - Nottingham East)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, what diplomatic steps he is taking to encourage the Indian Government to co-operate with the Canadian investigation into the murder of Hardeep Singh Nijjar.
Answered by Anne-Marie Trevelyan
The Prime Minster spoke to Prime Minister Trudeau on 6 October 2023 regarding the serious allegations raised in the Canadian Parliament. All countries should respect sovereignty and the rule of law. It is important Canada's investigation runs its course, with the perpetrators brought to justice. We have raised this matter with the Government of India at all levels, including through the Foreign Secretary, and we encourage them to cooperate fully with the investigation.
Asked by: Nadia Whittome (Labour - Nottingham East)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, what discussions he has had with his counterpart in Pakistan on the removal of Afghan nationals from Pakistan.
Answered by Leo Docherty
The UK Government continues to monitor the return of Afghans from Pakistan, recognising that every country has the sovereign right to manage their borders. The Foreign Secretary met with Pakistan's Caretaker Foreign Minister on 30 November 2023 and received assurances towards the safety of Afghans who are eligible for UK resettlement under the ARAP and ACRS schemes. We are working with the UN Refugee Agency to ensure Pakistan adheres to its international human rights obligations. Since September, we have committed £18.5 million to the International Organisation for Migration in Afghanistan to support undocumented returnees.
Asked by: Nadia Whittome (Labour - Nottingham East)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, what discussions he has had with his Israeli counterpart on the number of children killed in Gaza.
Answered by David Rutley
The Foreign Secretary visited Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territories on 23 November, where he met President Isaac Herzog, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Foreign Minister Eli Cohen and other senior Israeli officials, to discuss the conflict and the future. The Foreign Secretary expressed concerns that there will be no long-term safety, security and stability for Israel unless there is long term safety, security and stability for the Palestinian people, particularly children. The UK government is concerned about the shocking impact of the conflict on children in Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territories and UK humanitarian aid will ensure the specific needs of children are met, including the specific needs of girls. As reiterated by the Prime Minister at COP28 in December 2023, we continually are making it clear that Israel must take maximum care to protect civilian life, especially young lives.
Asked by: Nadia Whittome (Labour - Nottingham East)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, if he will make it his policy to call for an immediate moratorium on the (a) arrest, (b) detention and (c) prosecution of Palestinian children by Israeli military authorities.
Answered by David Rutley
We remain concerned about Israel's extensive use of administrative detention which, according to international law, should be used only when security makes this absolutely necessary. We continue to call on the Israeli authorities to comply with their obligations under international law and either charge or release detainees. We continue to make representations to the Israeli authorities on the troubling high number of Palestinian children who are not informed of their legal rights, in contravention of Israel's own regulations.
Asked by: Nadia Whittome (Labour - Nottingham East)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, what steps he is taking to support (a) humanitarian access into and (b) adequate levels of fuel entering Gaza.
Answered by David Rutley
The FCDO is actively engaging with international partners and those operating on the ground to do all we can to address the humanitarian crisis in Gaza. The Prime Minister and the Foreign Secretary engage regularly and closely with regional counterparts including Israel and Egypt on the humanitarian response. However, the flow of aid into and through Gaza continues to be insufficient and we are urgently exploring all diplomatic options to increase this, including urging Israel to open other existing land border crossings such as Kerem Shalom. Fuel remains a critical component, without sufficient aid, fuel cannot be distributed by humanitarian organisations and hospitals, bakeries as well as desalination plants cannot operate. We are also actively exploring other routes for aid to get into Gaza. The UK Government has already announced £60 million in humanitarian funding and has sent more than 74 tonnes of emergency relief for civilians in the Occupied Palestinian Territories. This funding will help support the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) in responding to critical food, fuel, water, health, shelter and security needs in Gaza.
Asked by: Nadia Whittome (Labour - Nottingham East)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, what assessment he has made of the potential implications of food insecurity for his policies on the health and wellbeing of children in Gaza.
Answered by David Rutley
The World Food Programme (WFP) has reported that only 10% of necessary food supplies have entered Gaza since the beginning of the conflict. The UK is increasingly concerned over the growing food insecurity in Gaza. We continue to call for immediate, unimpeded and safe humanitarian access for lifesaving aid to reach civilians including food. The FCDO is actively engaging with international partners and those operating on the ground to do all we can to address the humanitarian crisis in Gaza. The UK Government has already announced £60 million in humanitarian funding and has sent more than 74 tonnes of emergency relief for civilians in the Occupied Palestinian Territories. This funding will help support the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) in responding to critical food, fuel, water, health, shelter and security needs in Gaza.
Asked by: Nadia Whittome (Labour - Nottingham East)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of calling for a cessation of hostilities in Israel and Gaza.
Answered by David Rutley
Since the Hamas terrorist attacks on 7 October, the Prime Minister and Foreign Secretary have spoken with counterparts from almost 20 countries as part of extensive diplomatic efforts to sustain the prospect of peace and stability in the Middle East. On 19 October, the Foreign Secretary travelled to the region where he met leaders in Egypt, Turkey and Qatar to help prevent the conflict spreading across the region and to seek a peaceful resolution. The UK Government is actively monitoring the conflict in Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territories, and we maintain regular dialogue with international counterparts. We will continue to use all the tools of British diplomacy to sustain the prospects of peace and stability in the region.
Asked by: Nadia Whittome (Labour - Nottingham East)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether he has had discussions with his counterpart in India on the death of Hardeep Singh Nijjar.
Answered by Anne-Marie Trevelyan
The Foreign Secretary is in regular contact with his Indian and Canadian counterparts about the serious allegations raised in the Canadian Parliament. We have raised this matter with the Government of India and we encourage them to cooperate fully with Canada's investigation. It is important the investigation runs its course, with the perpetrators brought to justice.
Asked by: Nadia Whittome (Labour - Nottingham East)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what discussions he has held with his counterparts in Iran on the (a) incarceration of (i) Mahvash Sabet, (ii) Fariba Kamalabadi and (iii) Afif Naeimi and (b) medical reports about the health of (A) Mahvash Sabet and (B) Afif Naeimi; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Anne-Marie Trevelyan
The continued restrictions on freedoms of religion and belief in Iran are deeply worrying, as is Iran's discrimination against religious minorities. In June, the Prime Minister's Special Envoy for Freedom of Religion or Belief (FoRB) publicly condemned the sentencing of Baha'i leaders in Iran, in particular the continuing imprisonment of Mahvash Sabet and Fariba Kamalabadi. The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office will continue to monitor the cases of Mahvash Sabet, Fariba Kamalabadi and Afif Naeimi and to challenge Iran on its human rights record.