Contributions
1,406 recent contributions in Hansard
HANSARD Middle East Peace PlanIt is not a question of hiding behind what others say. Generally speaking, it is a good thing to be in the mainstream of international opinion. I would have thought that the hon.…30 Jan 2020HANSARD Middle East Peace PlanMay I congratulate my hon. Friend on his recent success? The UN General Secretary has made a statement that is in keeping with most of the comments made internationally yesterday…30 Jan 2020HANSARD Middle East Peace PlanI wish that I was able to be at the hon. Gentleman’s Burns night supper. Indeed, I wish to God “the giftie gie us To see oursels as ithers see us!” We could go on. On the subject…30 Jan 2020HANSARD Middle East Peace PlanWith respect, the hon. Lady needs to read the peace plan. She will not find within its pages anything to legitimise annexation, which has been spoken about following the…30 Jan 2020HANSARD Middle East Peace PlanWhat I think we should be doing is encouraging both parties to get around the negotiating table and talk, which they are not doing at the moment.30 Jan 2020HANSARD Middle East Peace PlanIt is not a fait accompli because the parties have not agreed to the plan. The only way there will be agreement is through negotiation, and there are not even talks at the moment.30 Jan 2020HANSARD Middle East Peace PlanWell, I think it has been well thought through. It has been three years in the making and is extensive. The hon. Lady makes her own point in her own way. It is not a UK Government…30 Jan 2020HANSARD Middle East Peace PlanI certainly agree with the hon. Gentleman that any land swaps need to be agreed—that is self-evident. I am also surprised at how the map looks. It is a challenging map to examine…30 Jan 2020HANSARD Middle East Peace PlanI certainly think there is a need for investment in the region, and opening up the region politically is, obviously, key to that—without that it is difficult to see how the lives…30 Jan 2020HANSARD Middle East Peace PlanThe aim is clearly to have a peaceful settlement that enables a two-state solution. Clearly, that has to be a viable state and the hon. Lady has identified some of the…30 Jan 2020HANSARD Middle East Peace PlanWe stand by the existing UN Security Council resolutions, of which there have been 100 since 1946. They remain extant until they are replaced by others.30 Jan 2020HANSARD Middle East Peace PlanThe UK is not the only country with an interest in the region. Sometimes, we have an overblown sense of our importance. It is important that we work with partners towards a…30 Jan 2020HANSARD Middle East Peace PlanI thank the hon. Lady for her question, because she is absolutely right: in the context of this particular piece of geography, water is key. To be fair, if I can be, about the…30 Jan 2020HANSARD Middle East Peace PlanThe right hon. Lady can chunter as much as she likes, but she needs to understand where we sit in the mainstream of international opinion on this matter, which is as I have…30 Jan 2020HANSARD Middle East Peace PlanIt is clear that peace in the middle east needs to be negotiated by the parties concerned, and I think everybody understands that. My hon. Friend is quite correct; I have a list…30 Jan 2020HANSARD Middle East Peace PlanI thank the right hon. Gentleman—the right hon. Lady. Actually, I have made that mistake before, Mr Speaker. I apologise once again, since we are in the mood for apologies this…30 Jan 2020HANSARD Middle East Peace PlanI certainly can do that. We have lost no opportunity to condemn that behaviour. Every time we speak to our Israeli interlocutors we hammer this home: it is completely unacceptable…30 Jan 2020HANSARD Middle East Peace PlanI am certainly not going to get drawn into the detail of this plan, but I would say that in all the conversations we have had with our US friends and allies, and others, we have…30 Jan 2020HANSARD Middle East Peace PlanMy right hon. Friend is correct on that. I think this is why so many of our friends and partners across the world have been cautious and moderate in the language they have been…30 Jan 2020HANSARD Middle East Peace PlanI thank the right hon. Lady for her urgent question. As the Foreign Secretary made clear in his statement on Tuesday, the Government welcome the release of the proposal by the…30 Jan 2020