Contributions
1,916 recent contributions in Hansard
HANSARDIsrael and the Occupied Palestinian TerritoriesThe point I made last week is that it is not for Ministers to assert what is in effect a legal judgment and that it should be left to the courts. I think that is a sensible…14 Nov 2023HANSARDIsrael and the Occupied Palestinian TerritoriesI yield to no one in my profound respect for the Archbishop of Canterbury, but I think the reasons set out by both Government and Opposition Front Benchers about why that is not a…14 Nov 2023HANSARDIsrael and the Occupied Palestinian TerritoriesThe hon. Gentleman makes an important point about the co-ordination of aid, but principally we need to get it into the country. I have set out that this is about not just the…14 Nov 2023HANSARDIsrael and the Occupied Palestinian TerritoriesIt is not just a humanitarian pause that is the issue, but how to distribute vital humanitarian supplies safely to people who may be being corralled in small spaces. I can assure…14 Nov 2023HANSARDIsrael and the Occupied Palestinian TerritoriesMy hon. Friend makes a very good point. We are committed to ensuring that this House can fully scrutinise everything that the Foreign Office does, and his suggestion about a…14 Nov 2023HANSARDIsrael and the Occupied Palestinian TerritoriesMy hon. Friend has made a further two thoughtful interventions. The Government will consider every possible way ahead as soon as the opportunity presents itself.14 Nov 2023HANSARDIsrael and the Occupied Palestinian TerritoriesThe hon. Gentleman is right that getting aid into Gaza is an absolute top priority. That is why we are focusing on opening up not only Rafah, but Kerem Shalom, and trying to make…14 Nov 2023HANSARDIsrael and the Occupied Palestinian TerritoriesMy hon. Friend speaks with great eloquence and passion on this point. I can do no better than to commend the eloquence of his argument.14 Nov 2023HANSARDIsrael and the Occupied Palestinian TerritoriesWe are speaking out in every way we can to try to protect vulnerable citizens. I quote what President Joe Biden said yesterday in an Oval Office address. He said that Al-Shifa…14 Nov 2023HANSARDIsrael and the Occupied Palestinian TerritoriesI pay tribute, as the hon. Member did, to Islamic Relief, which I visited in Birmingham on Sunday with Andy Street, the West Midlands Mayor. Islamic Relief is doing extraordinary…14 Nov 2023HANSARDIsrael and the Occupied Palestinian TerritoriesWith permission, Mr Speaker, I will begin by responding to your helpful statement yesterday. The Foreign Secretary, the business managers and I all believe it is essential that…14 Nov 2023HANSARDIsrael and the Occupied Palestinian TerritoriesWe will continue to focus on the importance of humanitarian pauses, but also try to make sure that, when the opportunity of a pause presents itself, we are able to get critical…14 Nov 2023HANSARDIsrael and the Occupied Palestinian TerritoriesI thank the right hon. Gentleman for his comments, and perhaps I should start by addressing those about the Foreign Secretary. Having a former Prime Minister and party leader as…14 Nov 2023HANSARDIsrael and the Occupied Palestinian TerritoriesIn addition, I will seek to ensure the fullest possible accountability, as you set it out, Mr Speaker. The right hon. Gentleman speaks of the scale of death and misery. All deaths…14 Nov 2023HANSARDIsrael and the Occupied Palestinian TerritoriesThe hon. Gentleman underlines the loss of life and the causes of it. He knows our position on a ceasefire—it is a position shared by Members on the Opposition Front Bench—and he…14 Nov 2023HANSARDIsrael and the Occupied Palestinian TerritoriesI hear what he says about the IRGC, and I know that he has already been in contact with the Foreign Secretary on exactly that point. I hope he will accept that we do not carry on…14 Nov 2023HANSARDIsrael and the Occupied Palestinian TerritoriesMy hon. Friend asks me about the position on fuel. Fuel is desperately needed today—it is going to run out. The United Nations has been accessing dirty fuel, but now that is at an…14 Nov 2023HANSARDIsrael and the Occupied Palestinian TerritoriesThere is an immense amount of work going on about how we get to the point where we can achieve that. As I set out in my statement, there is no alternative to the two-state…14 Nov 2023HANSARDIsrael and the Occupied Palestinian TerritoriesWe have always made it clear to Israel that we are its closest possible friend, but friends give candid advice and do not always say what people want to hear. The British…14 Nov 2023HANSARDIsrael and the Occupied Palestinian TerritoriesI repeat what I said last week. It is not for Ministers to seek to state where the ICC has jurisdiction; that is for the chief prosecutor. The chief prosecutor has not been silent…14 Nov 2023