Asked by: Caroline Lucas (Green Party - Brighton, Pavilion)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, pursuant to the Answer of 27 December 2023 to Question 5833 on Palestinians: Children, what steps his Department is taking to identify people responsible for settler violence.
Answered by Andrew Mitchell - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office) (Minister for Development)
We continue to be clear that extremist settlers, by targeting and killing Palestinian civilians, are undermining security and stability when Israelis and Palestinians are desperate for both. We have urged Israel to take stronger action to stop settler violence against Palestinian civilians and to hold the perpetrators accountable. As the Foreign Secretary said on 14 December, we are banning those responsible for settler violence from entering the UK, to make sure our country cannot be a home for people who commit these acts. This involves making use of existing disruptive immigration measures at our disposal.
We are not in a position to comment on individual cases.
Mentions:
1: Lord Hain (Lab - Life peer) ruling out a two-state solution with the Palestinians. - Speech Link
2: Lord Hain (Lab - Life peer) What alternative is Israel offering if not permanent siege and oppressed status for the Palestinians? - Speech Link
3: Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon (Con - Life peer) I know Israel well; it is a country that I have visited. - Speech Link
4: Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon (Con - Life peer) It is important that we work directly with all partners, including Israel and the Palestinians. - Speech Link
Asked by: Baroness Helic (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what consideration they have given to supporting the temporary medical evacuation of severely injured children from Israel and Palestine to the UK in order to receive short-term, life-saving, specialist medical treatment.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
We are currently supporting NGO and UN partners to deliver medical aid and care in the Gaza Strip. This includes support for primary healthcare, trauma and emergency care services, disease surveillance and outbreak response, and deployment of Emergency Medical Teams. We are also exploring further options to help meet the medical needs of Palestinians.
Asked by: Kenny MacAskill (Alba Party - East Lothian)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, pursuant to the Answer of 20 December 2023 to Question 7141 on Israel: Palestinians, what measures his Department plans to use in cases in which UK citizens are believed to be responsible for settler violence.
Answered by Andrew Mitchell - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office) (Minister for Development)
We are not in a position to comment on individual cases, including cases involving British Nationals. We have urged Israel to take stronger action to stop settler violence against Palestinian civilians and to hold the perpetrators accountable. As the Foreign Secretary said on 14 December, we are banning those responsible for settler violence from entering the UK, to make sure our country cannot be a home for people who commit these acts. This involves making use of existing disruptive immigration measures at our disposal.
Mentions:
1: None That is what we continue to strive towards: peace and security for Israelis and Palestinians alike. - Speech Link
2: Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon (Con - Life peer) We will continue to work constructively with Israelis and Palestinians, and do so in quite a dynamic - Speech Link
3: Baroness Altmann (Con - Life peer) Gaza to attack Israel. - Speech Link
4: Baroness Hussein-Ece (LD - Life peer) He said:“Only Israel will control Gaza … Israel will occupy Gaza, completely & fully including Jewish - Speech Link
Asked by: Dan Carden (Labour - Liverpool, Walton)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, whether he has made a recent assessment of the potential merits of formally recognising the State of Palestine alongside the State of Israel.
Answered by Anne-Marie Trevelyan - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK is committed to making progress towards a two-state solution. We believe that negotiations will only succeed when they are conducted between Israelis and Palestinians, supported by the international community. The UK position is clear: to prevent further conflict and terrorism, there must be a political solution to the Israeli/Palestinian conflict in the form of a two-state solution which provides justice and security for both Israelis and Palestinians. The Prime Minister has pledged to work together with our partners to redouble efforts towards this end, including by providing the serious, practical and enduring support needed to bolster the Palestinian Authority.
The Foreign Secretary visited Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territories on 23 and 24 November. He held meetings with the Palestinian Authority President Abbas, Prime Minister Shtayyeh, and Foreign Minister Malki. They spoke about the importance of getting aid into Gaza in greater volumes, deescalating tensions in the West Bank and across the region and a long-term political solution for Israelis and Palestinians.
Asked by: Wayne David (Labour - Caerphilly)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, what recent discussions he has had with his Israeli counterpart on the release of Palestinians detained since 7 October 2023.
Answered by Anne-Marie Trevelyan - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
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. We welcome the release of Palestinian detainees as part of the hostage deal brokered on 22 November, a crucial step towards providing relief to the families of the hostages and addressing the humanitarian crisis in Gaza. We urge all parties to ensure the agreement is delivered in full.
The Foreign Secretary visited Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territories on 23 and 24 November. During his visit to Israel, the Foreign Secretary met the President of the State of Israel, Isaac Herzog, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, and Foreign Minister Eli Cohen. In their meetings they discussed the importance of getting hostages and British nationals out of Gaza, the humanitarian situation in Gaza, the rising violence in the West Bank, and the urgent need for a meaningful, long-term political solution for Israelis and Palestinians.
Asked by: Dan Carden (Labour - Liverpool, Walton)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, pursuant to the Answer of 27 November 2023 to Question 2953 on Israel: Palestinians, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of the UK formally recognising a State of Palestine on the probability of a political solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict being reached in the form of a two-state solution; and what criteria the Government uses to determine (a) when a political solution has been reached and (b) whether to formally recognise a State of Palestine.
Answered by David Rutley - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK is committed to making progress towards a two-state solution. We believe that negotiations will only succeed when they are conducted between Israelis and Palestinians, supported by the international community. To prevent further conflict and terrorism, there must be a political solution which provides justice and security for both Israelis and Palestinians. Bilateral recognition in itself cannot end the occupation; without a negotiated settlement, the occupation and the problems that come with it will continue. The Prime Minister has pledged to work together with our partners to redouble efforts towards this conclusion, focussing on the provision of serious, practical and enduring support needed to bolster the Palestinian Authority.
Mentions:
1: Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon (Con - Life peer) Ultimately, a two-state solution is the best way to ensure safety and security for both Israelis and Palestinians - Speech Link
2: Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon (Con - Life peer) It is important that both the Israelis and the Palestinians know that we are fully engaged in our approach.I - Speech Link
3: Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon (Con - Life peer) solution that will provide the sustainable security, justice and peace that are equally deserved by Palestinians - Speech Link
4: Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon (Con - Life peer) The Palestinians deserve a state, and that is what we are working on. - Speech Link
Mentions:
1: Martin Docherty-Hughes (SNP - West Dunbartonshire) The Prime Minister of Israel’s strategy is to isolate the Palestinians in Gaza from the Palestinians - Speech Link
2: Edward Leigh (Con - Gainsborough) of settlers trying to intimidate Palestinians. - Speech Link
3: Steven Bonnar (SNP - Coatbridge, Chryston and Bellshill) Some 30,000 Palestinians lie dead, and 12,000 are innocent children. - Speech Link
4: Claudia Webbe (Ind - Leicester East) Palestinians are forced to eat grass just to survive. - Speech Link
5: Helen Hayes (Lab - Dulwich and West Norwood) horror on Israelis and Palestinians. - Speech Link