I remain committed to the pursuit of peace and stability in the Middle East. We ultimately want to be able to lift people’s eyes to a brighter future and sustainable, regional peace.
The events which have unfolded in the Middle East since 7 October 2023 have been truly appalling to witness. Israel suffered the worst terror attack in its history at the hands of Hamas. Civilians were brutally murdered and hundreds taken hostage and held in appalling conditions, unable to communicate with their families and without access to medicine and food. Like everyone else, I was horrified to see the emaciated condition of the recently released hostages as they were exhibited by masked, armed Hamas soldiers and very disturbed by accounts of the physical and psychological torture they endured.
As a direct consequence of the actions of Hamas on 7 October 2023 and their use of civilian infrastructure to undertake terrorist operations, Palestinian civilians have faced a devastating humanitarian crisis in Gaza. My thoughts are with both the families of those still held hostage, the remaining hostages held by Hamas and every innocent life, on both sides, which has been lost or impacted by this horrific conflict. I unequivocally support Israel’s right to defend itself against Hamas and indeed from all attacks by Iran’s proxy militias like Hezbollah or the Houthis. The attacks from Iran itself in recent months are a stark reminder of the existential threat Israel faces in the Middle East from those who choose violence and terrorism to achieve their goal of creating a new fundamentalist Islamic regional order. For this reason, both Hamas and Hezbollah are on the UK terrorist list and co-ordinated sanctions have been imposed on the Houthis.
However, it is without question that too many have died in this terrible war. While international pressure, quite rightly, continues to be put on Israel to minimise civilian deaths, I welcome the admission by the Foreign Secretary, David Lammy, in his statement to the House that, “there can be no doubt that Hamas pays not the slightest heed to international humanitarian law and endangers civilians by embedding itself in the tightly concentrated civilian population and in civilian infrastructure.” The situation across Gaza remains truly desperate; it is important that international humanitarian law be respected and civilians protected, that Israel makes sure that humanitarian aid including food, water and shelter gets into Gaza and its distribution is not impeded. This must also be the case for northern Gaza.
The UK, under the previous Conservative Government, rightly did everything it could to get aid into Gaza as quickly as possible by land, sea and air, including by: trebling the UK’s aid commitment to the Occupied Palestinian Territories in the last financial year, establishing a field hospital in Gaza, participating in numerous airdrops of aid, and providing a package of support to help set up a maritime aid corridor to Gaza. It is vital that the UK continues to provide much-needed humanitarian support to alleviate the suffering of civilians in Gaza and continues to press Israel to take concrete steps to meet its commitment to increase the amount of aid getting to Gaza.
I want, like everyone who has written to me, to see the Gaza conflict brought to a sustainable end as quickly as possible. The last Conservative Government advocated for negotiated pauses in the fighting, as they offer the potential to get hostages who remain in such cruel captivity out of Gaza, and much-needed humanitarian aid into Gaza. As we have thankfully seen, progress can be made to bring this conflict to an end if Hamas releases the hostages that it is holding. I therefore welcome the ceasefire that has been agreed, with hostages being released and more aid entering Gaza. When asked about current aid deliveries into Gaza, a UN humanitarian office (OCHA) spokesperson confirmed “We have been able to scale up humanitarian operations significantly with food, medical and shelter supplies and other aid during the ceasefire period.”
Turning to the Government’s suspension of 30 arms export licences to Israel; announcing this decision on the day that Israel was burying murdered hostages, and within weeks of British military personnel and arms defending Israel from an Iranian attack, was difficult to swallow. Decisions like this also have important broader geopolitical implications, and we must be clear that there is no moral equivalence between Hamas and the democratically elected Government of Israel. Moreover, with Iran being responsible for funding and supporting terrorism and instability in the region, and their attacks on Israel, it is important that we do not weaken the ability of Israel to defend itself from these threats to their safety and to the interests of the West. However, I welcomed the prime minister reiterating Britain’s support for Israel and its right to self-defence in the House of Commons. I have provided a link to the statement here: UK policy on arms export licences to Israel: Foreign Secretary's statement - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk).
I will be following developments closely.
I welcome that the new Government is continuing the work of the previous Conservative Government last by supporting humanitarian agencies including UNRWA, UNICEF and UK Med to provide essential healthcare to civilians in Gaza. This included activities to improve water, sanitation and hygiene, which is vital in preventing the spread of diseases. I especially welcomed the series of three-day “humanitarian pauses” in central, southern, and northern Gaza, which allowed the vital polio vaccination campaign to proceed.
I am aware of concerns about Israel's decision to pass legislation which, as of 30 January, revokes the privileges and immunities of UNRWA, forbids any contact between Israeli state entities, officials and UNRWA, and prohibits any UNRWA presence within Israel. This is highly significant because while most of UNRWA's projects take place in Gaza and the occupied West Bank, it relies on agreements with Israel to operate. Israel’s Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, has said UNRWA staff with links to Hamas must be held accountable and that Israel will work with international partners on next steps. Israel has also said it will work with other UN agencies, such as the World Food Programme, to deliver humanitarian aid. It has previously proposed that UNRWA needs to be replaced in a post-conflict Gaza. The UK has urged Israel to ensure that UNRWA can continue its operations and provision of essential services across the Occupied Palestinian Territories.
While no one can doubt the size of UNRWA's distribution network, the organisation must work to rebuild the trust and confidence that has understandably been lost following the deeply troubling allegations that staff were involved in Hamas's appalling 7 October 2023 attacks and reports of Hamas using UNRWA facilities. As the Shadow Foreign Secretary has said, we cannot ignore the problems within UNRWA and it is in no one’s interests to pretend that they have not happened.
I supported the previous UK Government’s decision to pause future funding for UNRWA when these serious allegations came to light. The last Conservative Government was clear with UNRWA that business as usual would not resume until allegations were dealt with and significant changes put in place as the integrity of this organisation had been deeply compromised by the events of October 7. As you will know, the current Government decided to overturn this suspension and has since provided UNRWA with £34 million. The Opposition has consistently raised concerns in Parliament about the Government's decision and will continue to call on the Government to prove that UK funding provided to UNRWA is reaching those most in need and not being abused by Hamas.
Priti Patel MP, Shadow Foreign Secretary, said, “Ministers have now committed more taxpayers’ money to UNWRA but they need to prove to us that the £21m of funding they released in the summer reached those most in need. There are deeply worrying reports that criminal gangs are ambushing aid in Gaza. It would be unacceptable for British aid to be abused, used by terrorists, or if it failed to reach the most in need civilians.”
I understand that the UN has now fired an additional nine UNRWA staff members - following the 12 fired previously. I believe that it is right that the UN has dismissed these individuals - it is critical that UN bodies ensure proper vetting of personnel and activities moving forward and that all links to the Hamas terrorist group be severed. We will hold the current Labour Government to account in making sure UNRWA fully implements all the recommendations made in the Colonna report so that this situation, where members of a UN humanitarian organisation are complicit in terrorism, can never arise again.
I would also like to address the arrest warrant the International Criminal Court (ICC) has issued for Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and its former-Minister Yoav Gallant. Firstly, Israel is not a party to the Rome statute - the treaty that established the ICC and set the Court’s jurisdiction - and Palestine is not a recognised state. I, therefore, believe that the warrants issued for Mr. Netanyahu and Mr. Gallant have no basis in international law. In addition, I am deeply concerned by reports of process errors in the ICC’s investigation into Mr. Netanyahu and Mr. Gallant, and about the use by the prosecutor of an expert panel. I will continue to push the UK Government for greater clarity on these important matters.
It is my firm belief that the ICC’s decision to issue arrest warrants for Mr. Netanyahu and Mr. Gallant has done nothing to help secure the release of the poor Israeli hostages who have been held captive by Hamas for more than a year, nor will it help to get more aid into Gaza, or to deliver a sustainable end to this awful conflict. I fear that the only beneficiaries of this decision are Hamas and their terrorist sponsors, Iran, who have celebrated this propaganda coup as a great victory for Hamas and Hezbollah. By charging Israeli leaders alongside Hamas, the ICC appears to be drawing a moral equivalence between Israel’s war of self-defence and Hamas’ terrorism. I utterly reject any moral equivalence.
I am also deeply concerned by the UK Government’s dithering response to the ICC’s warrant issue. Ministers have repeatedly failed to provide clarity, while spouting confused messaging. At this time, when the situation in Gaza remains fragile and sensitive, it is important that the Government provides clarity on its approach. My colleagues have challenged the Government over this in the House of Commons and will continue to press them over this and call for an intensification of diplomatic efforts to support the ceasefire, ensure the release of hostages, the provision of more aid into Gaza and a lasting and sustainable end to this conflict.
In the longer term, I continue to support a credible and irreversible pathway towards a two-state solution where a safe and secure Israel can live alongside a viable and sovereign Palestine, with peace and prosperity for both nations and the wider region. However, I strongly believe the UK should only recognise a Palestinian state at a time when it best serves the objective of peace. We must avoid premature declarations which would serve to vindicate the use of violence and terrorism as legitimate methods to achieve political goals. I will continue to encourage this Labour Government to act in accordance with this principle.
The current ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas marks an important moment for the Middle East; while it remains a fragile situation, I sincerely hope the ceasefire will usher in a sustainable end to the conflict and the UK Government must do everything in its power, working with our international partners, to support the ceasefire, the release of all hostages, the provision of aid, and press for a lasting and sustainable end to this conflict It is vital that all parties seize this opportunity to move towards a lasting peace which guarantees security and stability for both the Israeli and Palestinian people as swiftly as possible. I hope and pray they do.
