Asked by Baroness Bennett of Manor Castle To ask His Majesty’s
Government what representations they have made to the Government
of Israel regarding the number of deaths and injuries of
Palestinian civilians caused by the Israeli military in the
Israeli-occupied territories in 2023. The Minister of State,
Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (Lord Ahmad of
Wimbledon) (Con) My Lords, all countries,
including Israel have a legitimate...Request free trial
Asked by
To ask His Majesty’s Government what representations they have
made to the Government of Israel regarding the
number of deaths and injuries of Palestinian civilians caused by
the Israeli military in the Israeli-occupied territories in
2023.
The Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development
Office () (Con)
My Lords, all countries, including Israel
have a legitimate right to self-defence. Where there is evidence
of excessive force, we advocate swift and transparent
investigations. As I said recently to the Israeli ambassador to
the UK, Tzipi Hotovely, on 21 April, the Foreign Secretary and I
want to see a de-escalation and a willingness for dialogue from
all sides. My right honourable friend the Foreign Secretary and I
also emphasised this during our meetings with Israeli Foreign
Minister Cohen during his visit to London in March.
(GP)
I thank the Minister for his Answer. Can he assure me that no
items covered by British arms export licences are being used in
the infliction of those deaths and injuries, either by the
Israeli military or Israeli civilians? I realise that this is
very recent, but I draw particular attention to the early hours
of 9 May, when 13 Palestinians were killed in airstrikes,
including four children, four women and Dr Jamal Khaswan, a
well-known dentist and chair of Al-Wafa Hospital.
(Con)
My Lords, I know, from being directly involved in our relations
with both Israel and the
Palestinians, the importance of negotiating what one hopes will
be a lasting dialogue which will lead to a lasting and secure
peace. Loss of any life, particularly those of children, is
extremely distressing for all concerned. Irrespective of whether
it is an Israeli life or a Palestinian life, it is one life too
many. On the issue of arms exports, as the noble Baroness knows,
the United Kingdom Government take their defence export
responsibilities extremely seriously and operate some of the most
robust export controls. We continue to monitor the situation
between Gaza and the West Bank and Israel very closely. We
are diligent and keep regular sight of all aspects of that
dispute and conflict. I assure the noble Baroness of my best
intent and good offices. When there is any loss of life on either
side, I think I speak for all Members of your Lordships’ House in
saying that we would all rather it had not happened but, equally,
one hopes that it will inspire all nobly intended people to work
towards a resolution of this conflict, which has gone on for far
too long.
(Con)
My Lords, I welcome the decision of our Foreign Secretary not to
engage with Ben-Gvir, a man convicted of inciting racism and
supporting a terrorist organisation—a man whom the Israeli
military felt was too dangerous to draft. What confidence does my
noble friend have in the protection of Palestinian lives with
Ben-Gvir in charge as the Israeli Minister for National
Security?
(Con)
My Lords, my noble friend speaks from deep insight into the
Middle East. I alluded in my Answer to our direct engagement with
Foreign Minister Cohen, and let me assure her that in all our
engagements we have raised directly with the Israeli authorities
the security of Palestinians in the West Bank and the importance
of recognising their right to access to places of worship. During
the recent challenges faced by that part of the world, we were
engaging quite directly. I also assure my noble friend that we
will continue to raise any issues of concern to ensure that all
citizens of Israel—let us not forget that there are Arab citizens
of Israel both Christian
and Muslim, as well as Jewish citizens—enjoy safe and secure
rights, irrespective of where they may be.
(Lab)
My Lords—
of Childs Hill (LD)
My Lords—
(Con)
My Lords, there is loads of time. We will hear from the noble
Lord, , followed by the noble Lord,
.
(Lab)
My Lords, it is worth remembering that the dreadful loss of life
in the recent conflict with Gaza is due to the war
between Israel and Islamic
Jihad, sponsored by Iran, not between Israel and the
Palestinian people. Does the Minister agree that the conflict
between Israel and the
Palestinians goes back a long way and is due to the failure of
both sides to compromise?
(Con)
My Lords, first, the noble Lord speaks with great insight. I
agree with him. I have been in this role for a while now; one
thing I have certainly learned about what is needed in diplomacy
is the importance of compromise, but also that diplomacy comes at
times from listening to the situation from the other side. I am
encouraged by the fact that, historically, moves forward have
been made to resolve this issue. In the wider region, we have
seen confidence-building measures; indeed, His Majesty’s
Government are very supportive of the Abraham Accords, which have
brought a greater degree of security and stability to the region.
I assure the noble Lord that, through our good offices, we will
continue to work with both sides to ensure that, first and
foremost, peace is sustained and stabilised, and then,
importantly, to ensure that negotiations can take place between
both sides.
of Childs Hill (LD)
My Lords, a report from the United Nations Committee Against
Torture has accused the Palestinian Authority and Hamas of
torturing human rights activists, women, LGBT people, political
opponents, collaborators and others. Can the Minister say what
action will be taken, given our concern for the human rights of
Palestinians living under the rule of Hamas and the PA, as
highlighted by the recent deaths of two men in Hamas custody?
(Con)
As part of my wider brief, I am the UK Minister for Human Rights.
I assure the noble Lord that we do not deal directly with Hamas,
but we do engage directly with the Palestinian Authority. We
raise a broad range of issues. Most recently, I met Riyad
al-Maliki in the margins of the Coronation; we talked about the
importance of resolving the conflict between the Palestinians
and Israel but, at the same
time, the importance of ensuring that the rights of citizens in
areas under Palestinian control are also guaranteed. Upholding
human rights is a central component of any responsible
Administration.
(CB)
My Lords, does the Minister agree that Israel’s occupation of the
Palestinian territories in the West Bank and Gaza is illegal and
immoral, and that land confiscation and the demolition of homes
are a direct provocation to violent protest? Should not His
Majesty’s Government be far more robust in condemning Israel’s
flouting of international law?
(Con)
My Lords, the position of His Majesty’s Government on the West
Bank and the territories is clear; that is why we refer to them
as the Occupied Palestinian Territories. We believe we should see
progress towards the resolution of this conflict. On demolitions,
the noble Lord will have seen that I recently raised directly
with the Israeli authorities our concerns over the recent
demolitions that have taken place, in particular the demolition
of schools, and emphasised again the importance of access to
education for all communities, particularly children, across that
part of the world.
(Lab)
My Lords, may I bring the Minister back to the UN and his role as
Human Rights Minister? He will be aware that this month the UN
Human Rights Council is looking at Israel’s human rights record
as part of its universal periodic review. Our permanent
representative at the UN, Ambassador , has referred to the progress
made by Israel and called on it
to reverse its policy of settlement expansion in the Occupied
Territories. Can the Minister say a bit more about our engagement
with Israel on this issue
through the UN, including whether high-level discussions are
taking place, with our Foreign Secretary talking to Israeli
Ministers?
(Con)
My Lords, I thank the noble Baroness for raising the direct
conversations that we are having with the Israeli authorities and
assure her that we are doing exactly that. During Prime Minister
Netanyahu’s visit to the UK, my right honourable friend the Prime
Minister was able to raise directly the importance of the
two-state solution and, yes, my right honourable friend the
Foreign Secretary engages consistently and regularly,
particularly with Foreign Minister Cohen, whom I engage with
directly as the Minister responsible. In the context of the
United Nations, we have strong working relationships as friends
and partners to Israel and that will
continue; we will work constructively on this important agenda.
Human rights matter to Israel It is a
democracy, and any democracy, wherever it is in the world, should
also recognise its important responsibilities as a democracy.
(Con)
My Lords, the noble Baroness, Lady Bennett of Manor Castle,
rightly referred to the assassination of three commanders of
Palestinian Islamic Jihad following 100 rockets being fired
towards southern Israel One of the
targets assassinated yesterday, Tarek Azaldin, had been creating
a rocket-launching apparatus in Jenin and had taught a cell how
to fire and build rockets. Sadly, 10 civilians did die in that
attack. Despite pressure from Iran, Hamas did not get involved in
that fighting or the fighting last August. Israel has reportedly
sent a message via Egyptian mediators urging Hamas not to
respond. Will my noble friend and His Majesty’s Government be
urging Hamas, through Egypt, not to enter this conflict?
(Con)
My Lords, my noble friend rightly talks about the loss of life
and the missiles launched against Israel which
raise questions about the security and safety of Israeli
citizens. I agree with my noble friend. We welcome that Hamas has
not been involved in this current conflict; nor has it been
involved in escalating it. That is a good thing. We will use our
usual channels to ensure that this conflict is not escalated. We
have seen escalation and the need for de-escalation being
directly addressed by the Israeli authorities themselves.
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