(Dudley North) (Ind): Mr Speaker,
I am sure the whole House will want to join me in congratulating
you on your election yesterday. It is fantastic to see you in the
Chair.
I thank the Secretary of State for his answer. Abandoning the
Kurds, who led the fight against IS, has seen over 10,000
refugees fleeing to Iraqi Kurdistan on top of the 1.5 million
displaced people it is already generously caring for, so will he
increase humanitarian work and the Kurdistan region’s ability to
defend itself against Daesh? Does he agree that this has also
strengthened Iran and its proxy terror arming Hezbollah, and that
Israel, the middle east’s only democracy, must be protected from
that threat?
The Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs and
First Secretary of State (): I thank the hon. Gentleman;
he has followed this subject for a long period and has experience
and insight. We are worried, and our main concerns are around the
humanitarian situation and the stability of northern Syria.
Notwithstanding the removal of Daesh leader al-Baghdadi, which we
welcome, we are worried about the medium-term impact on
counter-Daesh strategy in the region. So while we welcome the
ceasefire brokered by Vice-President Mike Pence in relation to
northern Syria, we are also seeing an accommodation between the
Syrian Democratic Forces and the Syrian regime and indeed
Presidents Erdoğan and Putin, and that is counter both to our
counter-terrorism efforts but also to the humanitarian plight
that the hon. Gentleman rightly raises.
(Harrow East) (Con): Let me be
the first cockney MP to congratulate you on your new role, Mr
Speaker; I look forward to your service in this House.Five of the
15 members of the Hamas political bureau have been designated as
terrorists by the United Kingdom and the USA, but in the UK we
proscribe only the military wing of Hamas. Is it not time that we
proscribed the entirety of Hamas, rather than only Hamas as a
military organisation and a terrorist organisation? Does my right
hon. Friend agree that until Hamas renounces violence, celebrates
peace and brings peace to the middle east, there will never be a
peaceful solution between Israel and the Palestinian state?
The Minister for the Middle East and North Africa ( ): May I, Mr Speaker, extend
my felicitations from Wiltshire on your advancement? I feel
absolutely certain that my Wiltshire colleagues would join me in
that.
I thank my hon. Friend for his important question. He is aware
that we do of course proscribe the military element of Hamas, and
we have a policy of non-engagement with Hamas in its entirety.
Until Hamas sets its face against violence, accepts the Quartet
principles and engages with the political process, it will be
outside the tent.
(Stockton North) (Lab):
Teesside also celebrates your election to the Chair, Mr Speaker.
This morning, Israel’s Supreme Court confirmed its Government’s
decision to deport Human Rights Watch’s director for Israel and
Palestine, Omar Shakir. That decision comes amid the worrying
closing of civil society space for those advocating human rights
in that country. Will the Government urge Israel to reverse its
decision and allow Human Rights Watch to continue its vital
work?
: I know at first hand from my
time working on human rights in war crimes and for human rights
NGO, Liberty, how important the work of Human Rights Watch is. We
want to see that continue, and of course we support it in general
terms. We discuss a whole range of issues with our Israeli
partners. The Israeli Supreme Court has a strong record of
independence and has held the Executive to account on many
occasions. It is important that we respect the separation of
powers there as well.
