Foreign Affairs Committee launches inquiry into Israeli-Palestinian conflict

Today the Foreign Affairs Committee launches an inquiry into the UK's role in finding a resolution to the long-standing conflict between Israelis and Palestinians. The inquiry will ask how the UK and its allies can help to achieve a ceasefire and lasting end to the war in Gaza and Lebanon.  

The deadline for submitting evidence is 31^st December 2024. 

Chair of the Foreign Affairs Committee, Emily Thornberry MP, said: 

“It has been over a year since the terrorist group Hamas murdered over one thousand two hundred Israeli and other nationals, injuring thousands more and taking two hundred and fifty hostages. The conflict has engulfed the region and has intensified to unfathomable depths. Tens of thousands of innocent civilians in Gaza, the West Bank, Lebanon, Yemen, Syria, Israel, and in the wider Middle East, have been killed in this conflict or have died as a result of the severe, ongoing humanitarian crisis. 

 “The need to bring about a lasting ceasefire and secure the release of Israeli and other hostages is pressing. The only tolerable destination is a peaceful resolution, but the route to how we get there is unclear. This inquiry will ask what the UK can do to help. 

 “We will ask how the UK can work with regional and international partners to achieve sustainable peace. The inquiry will examine the UK's history in the region and whether this helps or hinders UK involvement. The inquiry will consider whether changes in global leadership might affect the outcome of the conflict in the Middle East”. 

The Committee welcomes written evidence on:  

·       What can – and should – the UK do, in cooperation with regional and international partners, to help bring about a ceasefire?  

·       What can be learned from the record of UK Government policies to date?  

·       How can the UK assure the resilience of efforts to bring about a lasting peace at a time of uncertainty caused by conflicts elsewhere and changes in leadership in the international community? 

Each submission should be no longer than 3,000 words and contain a brief introduction about the author. Submissions should be in malleable format such as MS Word (not PDFs) with no use of colour, logos or photos. Further guidance is available on our Written Evidence Guidance.