Welsh Parliament statements on Israel and Gaza - Oct 10

Statement by the Llywydd

Y Llywydd / The Llywydd 13:30:01

Good afternoon, and, if I could call the Senedd to order, I'm sure that, before we begin our work with questions to the First Minister this afternoon, we'd like to take a few seconds to reflect on what's happening in the middle east, and that we have all been horrified by these most recent events. Therefore, to reflect on that, I will now invite all the party leaders to contribute their thoughts on these events. First of all, the First Minister.

Mark Drakeford MS 13:30:34

First Minister of Wales

Llywydd, diolch yn fawr. This weekend brought a terrible escalation in the violence against Israel, and this week has seen that violence continue and widen. The events are shocking and appalling. As we sit here in this Chamber, children, older people and the civilian population in Israel and in Gaza are in vivid fear for their lives, while grieving for those already lost. And the impact of those events is not confined to the streets of Israel and Gaza; they have a real impact here in Wales, in our own communities, and our thoughts are with all of those caught up in this enduring cycle of violence. We condemn of course the perpetrators of these attacks, which have taken the lives of so many innocent civilians. But condemnation alone is not enough. A two-state solution is the policy of the UK Government and of the United Nations. Beyond the horror of the coming days, the international community must come together to work again for a lasting peace, a secure peace, a peace that reaches into the everyday lives of the Israeli and the Palestinian people. And hard as it is, and made harder yet by the war that continues to unfold, the only path to a better future has to be a path of peace.

Y Llywydd / The Llywydd 13:32:22

The leader of the Welsh Conservatives, Andrew R.T. Davies.

Andrew R.T. Davies MS 13:32:24

Leader of the Opposition

Thank you, Presiding Officer. I think many of us, when we woke up on Saturday morning and we saw the images coming from Israel, were aghast at what was unfolding before us. We all know that that part of the world is a very volatile place, but to see the activities of the terrorist organisation Hamas break through the border and actually murder women, children and old people in their homes and in their community settings is something that we all deplore, and rightly so. And we must all support Israel's right of defence and making sure that its international borders are recognised and, ultimately, protected. What we also must remember is that, as the First Minister highlighted, as we sit in this Chamber here today, there are people cowering in basements, in community settings because missiles and rockets are going off indiscriminately, both in Israel and the Gaza Strip.

And it is something that we as a country, the United Kingdom, and the international community, and us here in Wales, must redouble our efforts on to bring peace to the communities that live in that part of the world, because without peace in the middle east, we do not have peace across the globe. And to see the suffering, to see the anguish, and to see the horror must fill us all to make sure that we double our efforts to bring that peace, a lasting peace, to that part of the globe. And the one image I would ask all Members to reflect on is the image on the front page of The Times today of a family of three young children, a father and a mother, who were slaughtered—who were slaughtered—on the weekend because they happened to be Israelis. That is something that none of us—none of us—should stand by and condone, and we must make sure that we redouble our efforts to support Israel's right to self-determination, to protect its borders. We support the civilians in the Palestinian community who abhor what Hamas is doing, supposedly in their name, which I would argue is not being done in their name, and make sure that we stand shoulder to shoulder where this violence is inflicting such multiple misery and suffering, so that we can enjoy the peace that the First Minister has talked about, and the peace that we all want to see.

Y Llywydd / The Llywydd 13:34:54

The leader of Plaid Cymru, Rhun ap Iorwerth.

Rhun ap Iorwerth MS 13:34:58

Leader of Plaid Cymru

The events over the past few days in the middle east have shaken us all. We today think about everyone who has been affected directly by this, about the lives that have been lost, and we think of everyone of Israeli and Palestinian heritage in Wales who has been suffering while watching the events of the past few days. We in Plaid Cymru and everyone in the Senedd can always unite in our condemnation of violence against our fellow man. We condemn the attacks by Hamas, and today we urge the international community to work together swiftly to persuade the relevant powers to introduce a ceasefire to allow the release of those held in Gaza against their will.

We also believe that the way that the Israeli Government has placed Gaza under siege, ceasing water and energy supplies, is impossible to justify. Ordinary Palestinians, of course, have been let down by the international community and have suffered years of violence and injustice. Now people on both sides of the border are losing their lives again in heartbreaking circumstances. Worsening the violence is not the solution. The indiscriminate attacks on citizens will do nothing to alleviate tensions. The suffering facing ordinary people from all beliefs in this violent conflict have touched us all, and our thoughts are with each and every one of them in another dark chapter in the history of the region.

13:35

Y Llywydd / The Llywydd 13:36:36

The leader of the Welsh Liberal Democrats, Jane Dodds.

Jane Dodds MS 13:36:40

Thank you very much for the opportunity to say a few brief words. 

Our thoughts are with all those whose lives have been impacted by this tragic violence. We fully condemn the terrorism of Hamas and Islamic jihad. I echo the comments of Layla Moran, the Liberal Democrat spokesperson on foreign affairs, herself of Palestinian descent, who said that civilians must be protected, and that we are especially horrified to hear about hostage taking, and that we condemn all of the violence. This is sadly a significant escalation. The United Nations said,

'In conflict, civilians always pay the highest price. War is not the answer. We need peace.'

To finish, I hope and pray that all efforts from everyone, everywhere will concentrate on negotiations, peace, safety and protection of all caught up in this horrendous conflict. Diolch yn fawr iawn.