Asked by: Nicola Richards (Conservative - West Bromwich East)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what discussions he has had with his counterparts in the European Union on rising levels of anti-Semitism.
Answered by Leo Docherty
Antisemitism has no place in our or any society. The UK Government is committed to international cooperation to promote education, remembrance and research about the Holocaust. Lord Pickles, the UK's Special Envoy for post-Holocaust issues, visited Warsaw in October to engage with civil society, historical institutions and the Jewish community on post-Holocaust issues. The UK Government has engaged closely with counterparts in the EU institutions and Member States following the Hamas terrorist attack on Israel on 7 October, including as part of a meeting between the Prime Minister and Commission President von der Leyen on 2 November.
Asked by: Nicola Richards (Conservative - West Bromwich East)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent assessment he has made of the likelihood of direct Iranian involvement in the conflict in Gaza; and what steps he is taking to deter such involvement.
Answered by David Rutley
The UK is clear that Hamas is fully responsible for these appalling acts of terror in Israel. We are also clear that Iran poses an unacceptable threat to Israel. We have long condemned Iran's destabilising activity throughout the region, including its political, financial and military support to several militant and proscribed groups, including Hamas, Hezbollah and the Palestinian Islamic Jihad. During his visit to the Middle East, the Prime Minister discussed the risk of regional escalation extensively with partners and we have deployed UK military assets to the region to carry out surveillance and act as a deterrent. Such activity compromises the region's security, its ability to prosper and escalates already high tensions.
Asked by: Nicola Richards (Conservative - West Bromwich East)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent discussions he has had with his Palestinian on security control in Jenin.
Answered by David Rutley
We continue to closely monitor the security situation in the Occupied Palestinian Territories (OPTs). The Foreign Secretary discussed the security situation in Jenin in his call with Palestinian Authority Prime Minister Mohammad Shtayyeh on 5 July. We unequivocally support the Palestinian Authority's independent role in securing Area A of the West Bank, as agreed in Oslo. The UK continues to support the Palestinian Authority to develop capable, responsible security forces that respect human rights and are accountable to the Palestinian people. We call on the Palestinian Authority and Government of Israel to cooperate in securing the safety and protection of civilians across the OPTs.
Asked by: Nicola Richards (Conservative - West Bromwich East)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment he has made of the implications for his policies of potential (a) bomb factories, (b) mines, (c) military equipment and (d) improvised explosive devices in Jenin.
Answered by David Rutley
The UK is actively monitoring the security situation in Jenin. We unequivocally condemn the use and possession of indiscriminate weapons by militant groups in Jenin, including improvised explosive devices (IEDs), which could harm civilians. The UK supports the Palestinian Authority's security jurisdiction in area 'A' of the West Bank, as agreed through the Oslo Accords. We call on the Palestinian Authority and government of Israel to cooperate in securing the safety and protection of civilians across the West Bank.
Asked by: Nicola Richards (Conservative - West Bromwich East)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, if he will make it his policy to allow proceeds from the sale of Chelsea Football Club to be made available to UK charities for humanitarian purposes in Ukraine.
Answered by Leo Docherty
In a statement announcing the sale of Chelsea FC and in subsequent statements, Mr Abramovich stated that a charitable foundation would be set up, where all net proceeds from the sale would be donated. Humanitarian experts outside of Government are now responsible for the highly complex process to establish this foundation to manage and distribute the proceeds for humanitarian purposes in Ukraine. The proceeds are currently frozen in a UK bank account. Any movement of the proceeds requires a licence from the Office of Financial Sanctions Implementation.
Asked by: Nicola Richards (Conservative - West Bromwich East)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent assessment he has made of the implications for the Middle East peace process of the emergence of (a) Palestinian Islamic Jihad and (b) Lions’ Den terror cells in the West Bank.
Answered by David Rutley
We continue to closely monitor the security situation in Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territories (OPTs). The UK has proscribed Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) as a terrorist entity since March 2001. PIJ and other terrorist groups including the Lions' Den must cease all actions that are violent or provocative, or that put civilian lives at risk. There can be no justification for such acts of violence. Every Israeli and Palestinian has the right to live in peace and security. As the Foreign Secretary said in his 14 April statement, the UK will support all efforts to promote dialogue and create a pathway towards a sustainable peace.
Asked by: Nicola Richards (Conservative - West Bromwich East)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent discussions he has had with his international counterparts on the implications for the Middle East peace process of the Palestinian Authority's practice of paying salaries to prisoners convicted of terrorist offences.
Answered by David Rutley
The UK remains resolute in its commitment to Israel's security. Our clear and long-standing message to the Palestinian Authority (PA) is that the prisoner payments system should be reformed so that it is needs-based, transparent and affordable. The British Consulate General Jerusalem regularly raises this issue with the Palestinian Authority. This is also a matter that the Minister of State for the Middle East, Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon discussed with Israeli Ambassador Hotovely in their 21 April meeting. We also have robust safeguards in place to ensure that no UK aid is used for payments to Palestinian prisoners, or their families.
Asked by: Nicola Richards (Conservative - West Bromwich East)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent discussions his Department has had with representatives of (i) the UN and (ii) other countries on the appointment of Iran as chair of the UN Human Rights Council Social Forum announced on 10th May 2023.
Answered by David Rutley
The Iranian government is responsible for persistent, widespread and serious human rights violations and can have no international credibility in this sphere. This is why we worked with partners in December to ensure Iran was expelled from the UN Commission on the Status of Women. The Social Forum is a subsidiary body of the UN Human Rights Council which the UK does not traditionally attend. The chair rotates between members' ambassadors according to region. The UK will continue to work closely with our partners to hold Iran to account in international fora; to that end we regularly meet with UN representatives, both in the UK and overseas through UK Missions in Geneva, New York and around the world.
Asked by: Nicola Richards (Conservative - West Bromwich East)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment he has made of the implications for his policies of (a) the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps’ infrastructure in Syria and (b) the drone strike on a coalition military base in northeast Syria on 23 March 2023.
Answered by David Rutley
The UK Government regularly monitors the impact of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps' (IRGC) continued destabilising activity throughout the region and we discuss our approach to IRGC activity and infrastructure in Syria with regional and international partners. We condemn the recent callous attack committed against a US base in North East Syria, which killed a US national. The UK recognises the US's right to use force in self-defence and stands by its partners in the Global Coalition Against Daesh and will continue to play a leading role in the Coalition's mission to defeat Daesh in Iraq and Syria.
Asked by: Nicola Richards (Conservative - West Bromwich East)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent assessment he has made of the effectiveness of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action’s in deterring Iran from developing a nuclear weapon.
Answered by David Rutley
Iran's escalation of its nuclear activities is threatening international peace and security and undermining the global non-proliferation system. A viable deal was put on the table in March and again in August 2022 which would have returned Iran to compliance with its Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPoA) commitments and returned the US to the deal. Iran refused to seize a critical diplomatic opportunity to conclude the deal with continued demands beyond the scope of the JCPoA. Iran's actions over the past months have made progress towards a diplomatic solution much more difficult. We are considering next steps with our international partners.