Contributions
1,953 recent contributions in Hansard
HANSARDIsrael and Gaza: CeasefireWe are using all our diplomatic contacts and our diplomatic leverage. Understandably, the United Nations is the predominant multilateral body through which we are working, but I…19 May 2021HANSARDIsrael and Gaza: CeasefireI recognise the hon. Lady’s passion for the Palestinian people and her own background. I completely understand how painful it is for her in particular, and for all of us, to see…19 May 2021HANSARDIsrael and Gaza: CeasefireThe UK enjoys good relations with both the Government of Israel and the Palestinian Authority. I urge all Members of the House and those further afield to recognise that Hamas,…19 May 2021HANSARDIsrael and Gaza: CeasefireI urge the hon. Gentleman, for whom I have a huge amount of respect, not to equate the legitimate Government of Israel with a terrorist organisation —the military wing of Hamas.…19 May 2021HANSARDIsrael and Gaza: CeasefireI thank my right hon. Friend for the points that she has made. She will know that the military wing of Hamas is recognised internationally as a terrorist organisation, and the…19 May 2021HANSARDIsrael and Gaza: CeasefireI thank the hon. Gentleman for his recognition of the diplomatic work that the UK Government have put in. I can assure him that we remain fully committed to an immediate…19 May 2021HANSARDIsrael and Gaza: CeasefireSince I was last at the Dispatch Box on 13 May, we have sadly seen further violence and more civilian deaths. I am sure the House will join me in offering condolences to all the…19 May 2021HANSARD Violence in Israel and PalestineI can assure the hon. Lady that we will use our considerable diplomatic might to work both with the Government in Israel and in the Occupied Palestinian Territories through the…12 May 2021HANSARD Violence in Israel and PalestineAs I have said, the UK’s position on settlements is of long standing; it is clear, and has been communicated here and elsewhere. There is no justification for the violence that we…12 May 2021HANSARD Violence in Israel and PalestineMy hon. Friend makes an incredibly important point about the importance, during this holy month of Ramadan, of worshippers having access to one of the most holy sites in Islam,…12 May 2021HANSARD Violence in Israel and PalestineI thank my hon. Friend and I pay tribute to the work he has done on freedom of religion or belief. He is right: violence against worshippers of whatever faith is unacceptable. As…12 May 2021HANSARD Violence in Israel and PalestineMy hon. Friend makes a good point; the rocket attacks by Hamas from Gaza do harm, not only indirectly but directly, to the Palestinian people. We call on them to cease…12 May 2021HANSARD Violence in Israel and PalestineAs I have said, our main priority at the moment is the cessation of the violence that we have all seen. The hon. Lady will know that the UK has been one of the most generous…12 May 2021HANSARD Violence in Israel and PalestineI do not recognise at all the scenario the hon. Gentleman paints. This is an issue that I have spoken about from the Dispatch Box. The Prime Minister has made a statement on this…12 May 2021HANSARD Violence in Israel and PalestineMy hon. Friend makes a very important point. The UK Government, at both ministerial and official level, encourage greater co-operation between the Palestinian Authority and the…12 May 2021HANSARD Violence in Israel and PalestineI do not think it is at all helpful to try to imply there is a commonality between the examples he gave and the situation we see in Israel and the Occupied Palestinian…12 May 2021HANSARD Violence in Israel and PalestineThe al-Aqsa mosque is one of the most holy sites in Islam, and Jerusalem has the privilege of being the home of a number of the holiest sites in the Abrahamic religions.…12 May 2021HANSARD Violence in Israel and PalestineAs I say, the UK’s position on the settlements and evictions is clear. I have spoken about it from this Dispatch Box today and in the past, and we have also had that conversation…12 May 2021HANSARD Violence in Israel and PalestineI think that Members in every part of this House, and our constituents, will have been deeply distressed by the images we have seen from some of the most holy sites not only in…12 May 2021HANSARD Violence in Israel and PalestineThe rocket attacks by Hamas, whose military wing has, as I say, been proscribed as a terrorist organisation by the UK Government, are completely counterproductive to the effort…12 May 2021