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Israel-Gaza Conflict: Arrest Warrants
25 November 2024
Lead MP
Hamish Falconer
Debate Type
Ministerial Statement
Tags
Ukraine
Other Contributors: 52
At a Glance
Hamish Falconer raised concerns about israel-gaza conflict: arrest warrants in the House of Commons. A government minister responded. Other MPs also contributed.
How the Debate Unfolded
MPs spoke in turn to share their views and ask questions. Here's what each person said:
Government Statement
Last Thursday, the ICC issued arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Defence Minister Yoav Gallant. The ICC investigates and prosecutes serious crimes internationally, including those in Ukraine, Sudan, and Libya. Respecting international law, we will comply with our obligations under the International Criminal Court Act 2001. There is a legal process to determine if arrest warrants are enforceable in UK courts. We respect Israel’s right to defend itself but reject any moral equivalence with Hamas or Lebanese Hezbollah, which are terrorist organisations. The Government push for an immediate ceasefire and increased humanitarian aid into Gaza.
Priti Patel
Con
Witham
Question
The ICC's decision to issue arrest warrants for Israeli leaders will not help secure hostage release or increase aid in Gaza; it benefits Hamas and Iran. The Government must clarify their position on issues of jurisdiction, process errors, and Netanyahu’s immunity.
Minister reply
The Government respects the rule of law and international legal norms while pressing for an immediate ceasefire and increased humanitarian aid in Gaza.
Emily Thornberry
Lab
Islington South and Finsbury
Question
It is wrong to undermine international law, which supports basic standards applicable globally. Are we disappointed by the Conservative stance?
Minister reply
The Government upholds international law as a crucial commitment.
Calum Miller
Lib Dem
Bicester and Woodstock
Question
Support for upholding ICC rulings is right. Concerned about US sanctions against nations supporting the ruling, what new steps will secure an immediate ceasefire?
Minister reply
The Government engages daily with parties to press for a ceasefire in Gaza, Lebanon, and de-escalation in the Middle East.
Andrew Slaughter
Lab
Hammersmith and Chiswick
Question
Does the UK need action beyond words from the Government? What sanctions might be considered?
Minister reply
The ICC process must follow due legal procedures. Sanctions discussions are ongoing but cannot disclose further details.
Oliver Dowden
Con
Hertsmere
Question
The Minister acknowledges that Netanyahu is a democratically elected leader of a sovereign state and that Israel is conducting a legitimate war of self-defence. However, does he appreciate how this ruling is seen by many constituents as an affront to those principles?
Minister reply
We are signatories to the ICC Act and respect the importance of the rule of law. Representations were made to the ICC in the pre-trial chamber, and its decisions should be respected.
Tan Dhesi
Lab
Slough
Question
The Conservative party's stance on the ICC is seen as a downgrade and disparagement of the institution. Labour believes it's important to respect the independence of the ICC in its arrest warrants against Netanyahu, Gallant and Deif for potential war crimes. Does the Minister agree?
Minister reply
There is a domestic legal process through our independent courts that would determine whether to endorse an arrest warrant. The decision is not for Ministers but for an independent court.
David Davis
Con
Goole and Pocklington
Question
The difficulty here is not just that Israel is a democracy, but also has an internal, independent judiciary, which puts limits on what any Government can do. Equating Netanyahu with other perpetrators risks bringing the court into disrepute.
Minister reply
Questions of complementarity are important and were considered by the pre-trial chamber.
Florence Eshalomi
Lab Co-op
Vauxhall and Camberwell Green
Question
Several allies support the ICC. Does the Minister agree that it has a high evidential threshold for issuing arrest warrants, which has been demonstrated in this case?
Minister reply
The deliberations of the ICC have gone on for some time and its process is clear.
Layla Moran
Lib Dem
Oxford West and Abingdon
Question
Last week I attended a memorial service for the people of Gaza. The issuing of a warrant is not justice, there is still a process to go through and a trial to be had. Is it right that those outcomes are adhered to? May I press him on the ruling of the ICJ advisory opinion on the occupation?
Minister reply
We will continue to have contact with all sides, including those indicted, and press for an early end to this war. We are considering the judgment carefully.
Sarah Owen
Lab
Luton North
Question
The ICC found grounds to believe Netanyahu and Gallant bear criminal responsibility for war crimes. What moral justification is there now for continuing arms sales used by Israeli forces at the behest of a Prime Minister accused of such serious war crimes?
Minister reply
Due process will be followed in independent courts if that situation arises. Insufficient aid is getting into Gaza, and we are taking steps with partners to ensure people have what they need as winter comes.
Stephen Flynn
SNP
Aberdeen South
Question
Last year, the Labour party had to be dragged into accepting that there was a collective punishment of the Palestinian people. Will the Minister show leadership and say that if Netanyahu’s feet touch UK soil he will comply with the arrest warrant?
Minister reply
War is ugly and we are doing everything possible to bring it to a close through diplomacy.
Apsana Begum
Lab
Poplar and Limehouse
Question
Beyond the commitment to uphold ICC’s arrest warrants, does the Minister recognise that UK’s failure to condemn collective punishment of civilians has serious implications for human rights obligations?
Minister reply
We have suspended all arms sales to Israel that could be used in Gaza, with one exemption, and will continue to take action in accordance with our commitments under international humanitarian law.
Bernard Jenkin
Con
Harwich and North Essex
Question
Can we be clear about what the Government are saying? It seems that there would be due process but not an automatic arrest if Netanyahu arrives in this country. Is the Minister committing himself to due process but not to arrest?
Minister reply
There is a domestic legal process through our independent courts, and we cannot prejudge that process.
Naseem Shah
Lab
Bradford West
Question
While working tirelessly for a ceasefire in Gaza, does the Minister agree that Britain’s reputation on upholding justice would be undermined if it did not respect the independence of the ICC?
Minister reply
Adherence to international law and being seen to adhere to it are incredibly important. In everything we have done since July, we have sought to underline this principle.
Jeremy Corbyn
Ind
Islington North
Question
The Minister has assured us that the arrest warrants will be carried out, and I hope that is the case, but will he also consider this question? If an arrest warrant has been issued for the leader of a country, and the International Court of Justice has found that country deeply wanting in respect of its behaviour as an occupying power and the war crimes that have been committed, why are we still supplying weapons that are being used in the bombardment of Gaza and destroying life as we speak?
Minister reply
As I said in answer to a question from my own Benches, we took steps on 2 September to ensure that, with one exemption—which I am happy to go into—we are not selling arms that are being used and could pose a breach of international humanitarian law in Gaza. That continues to be the position, and it is kept under regular review.
Abtisam Mohamed
Lab
Sheffield Central
Question
The ICC’s decision is a crucial step towards ensuring justice and accountability for the crimes against humanity committed in Gaza and Israel. It is vital for the Government to act without fear or favour in order to uphold the international rules-based system. War crimes are wrong whoever commits them and wherever they happen, whether they are committed by Russian forces in unlawfully occupied Ukraine or by Israeli forces on unlawfully occupied Palestinian territory. Will the Minister now review all diplomatic, economic and political relations with Israel to ensure that our country is not complicit in the atrocities that are taking place in Gaza, the west bank and Lebanon?
Minister reply
I can confirm that the Department and the Government as a whole keep our international obligations under close review, including in relation to the theatres described.
Monica Harding
Lib Dem
Esher and Walton
Question
Last week I was in the west bank and saw for myself the incursions by settlers into the Occupied Palestinian Territories. Following recent comments from Israel’s far-right Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, who described in explicit terms the active effort to annex the west bank into Israel, does the Minister agree that now is the time to sanction Smotrich?
Minister reply
The comments of Finance Minister Smotrich have been condemned in this Chamber before, and we can reiterate that condemnation. As the hon. Lady would expect, however, we cannot comment on sanctions that may or may not be under consideration in the usual way.
Matt Western
Lab
Warwick and Leamington
Question
I am no friend of Hamas, but we must remember that Prime Minister Netanyahu promised us intelligence-led precision attacks in Gaza. We have seen daily violation of international law, 43,000 people killed, restrictions on food and aid, and 136 journalists killed. I welcome the Government’s announcement about respecting the ICC’s decision, but may I urge them to consider using all levers, including sanctions against two Israeli Government Ministers, the settlers in the west bank and other organisations operating therein?
Minister reply
I will not comment on what sanctions may be under review, for reasons that are well established, but I draw my hon. Friend’s attention to the sanctions that we took in October against Israeli settlers and organisations involved in both breaches of international law and violence in the west bank.
Bob Blackman
Con
Harrow East
Question
Our closest ally is the United States of America, and there has been widespread condemnation of the issuing of these arrest warrants across Congress. What effect does the Minister think this decision will have on our relationship with the United States of America, and particularly with the incoming Administration, who have very different views?
Minister reply
The UK is a state party to the Rome statute, and that brings with it obligations that put us in a different position from that of the US. We will continue to engage with both the current and incoming US Administrations in the shared interest of our two countries and across the full range of our priorities.
Rachael Maskell
Lab Co-op
York Central
Question
The atrocities that led to the issuing of arrest warrants continue to this day, not least in healthcare facilities, with devastating stories coming out of Gaza. My hon. Friend has set out his frustration at aid not reaching such facilities, yet more sanctions could be applied by this Government. Why will he not escalate the UK’s response to the Israeli Government by introducing sanctions so that they feel the real pain of our country but also understand that we want to ensure that justice is served by the ICC?
Minister reply
I want to reassure the House about how focused the Government are on the question of aid access into Gaza. As I say, I have travelled to the region and raised these issues repeatedly with all parties, including the Israeli Government. We need to see a flood of aid into Gaza. That has been the commitment of the Israeli Government, and I regret that we have not yet seen a flood of aid and that Palestinians are suffering as a consequence. Winter is coming, and Palestinians in Gaza are extremely vulnerable. We will continue to press the Israeli Government to do everything that they can to ensure that more aid reaches Gaza and, indeed, all parts of the Occupied Palestinian Territories that require it.
Dwyfor Meirionnydd
Question
The ICC has issued arrest warrants for crimes including direct attacks on civilians. Open-source information shows that, on average, Royal Air Force reconnaissance flights are going over Gaza nearly four times a day. Although we all seek the information necessary to gain the release of the hostages, how confident is the Minister that the information gathered from those flights and shared with Israel has not been used to facilitate any attacks on civilians?
Minister reply
I will not go into operational details, but I can assure the House that the surveillance aircraft are unarmed and do not have a combat role. They are tasked solely with locating hostages, including a British national, and they will continue to do so.
Andy McDonald
Lab
Middlesbrough and Thornaby East
Question
In response to the right hon. Member for Witham (Priti Patel), I note that the UK under the previous Conservative Government signed an ICC state party statement in support of the ICC and to preserve it from political interference, just before the election. The Foreign Secretary has confirmed the UK’s acceptance of and respect for the ICC arrest warrants for Netanyahu’s war crimes. Therefore, is it not now incumbent on the Government to take effective, concrete steps to prevent further such acts by banning all arms licences to Israel, including those relating to F-35 parts; by imposing sanctions on individuals, on assets and on goods trading with the illegally occupied west bank; and by the urgent recognition of Palestinian statehood?
Minister reply
I will not rehearse the points that we have already discussed on sanctions. The Foreign Secretary has set out our position in relation to the suspension of arms licences and the F-35 exemptions, and that remains the position. We will keep our assessments under regular review, including the findings of the ICC.
Adnan Hussain
Ind
Blackburn
Question
Frankly, I am disappointed that the Government are not giving any clear responses. I therefore ask this question. In October 2023, over 800 experts in international law and in conflict and genocide studies gave a warning of clear prospects of genocide. In November 2023, over 40 United Nations experts called it a “genocide in the making”. We then had the ICJ judgment that called it a “plausible” genocide, and a judge from the ICJ saying: The alarm has now been sounded by the Court. All the indicators of genocidal activities are flashing red in Gaza. Now we have an arrest warrant. Do this Government stand by their conviction that genocide is not being committed in Gaza—yes or no?
Minister reply
It is important that we treat the international institutions with the respect that they deserve. This is an indictment from the ICC and we respect it. The ICJ process to which the hon. Gentleman refers has not found; it is at an advisory opinion stage. We need to treat international law with the respect that it deserves.
Imran Hussain
Lab
Bradford East
Question
The Minister will be aware that, as well as the ICC’s recent decision to issue arrest warrants, there is now an entire body of international law, including the ICJ’s advisory opinion, adopted by the UN General Assembly, ruling Israel’s occupation of the Palestinian territories illegal, as well as South Africa’s case at the ICJ on genocide, that points towards a clear position in international law. Does the Minister therefore agree that if we are to preserve the integrity of the international rules-based order, we must start by ending the international hypocrisy and double standards and reaffirm that all states, including the UK, have an absolute obligation under international law to act now to bring all those who commit war crimes to justice?
Minister reply
I thank my hon. Friend for his question. I want to underline this Government’s commitment in relation to accountability for war crimes. We stand against international crimes of this nature in all places, everywhere, and our commitment to international law is one of the most powerful levers we have in trying to prevent war crimes.
Paul Holmes
Con
Hamble Valley
Question
I ask for the Minister’s forgiveness because I did not hear whether he answered this question from my right hon. Friend the shadow Foreign Secretary. Is it his understanding that customary international law does not permit the arrest or delivery of a serving Prime Minister of a non-state party to the ICC, and that the UK seeking to arrest such a Prime Minister would not only breach our international obligations but be unlawful under the International Criminal Court Act 2001?
Minister reply
For the awareness of the House, the shadow Attorney General has written about the two different legal interpretations of immunity and has sought the Attorney General’s view on these matters. I think the shadow Attorney General acknowledges that this is a case on which the courts are the competent authority, but the Attorney General has undertaken to respond to that letter in due course.
Toby Perkins
Lab
Chesterfield
Question
The law is the law, and the evidence is the evidence. Whether or not it is politically convenient or diplomatically helpful, the law is the law. The International Criminal Court has been clear, and my hon. Friend is absolutely right to reject the Opposition’s calls to turn this into a political decision. It should remain an independent legal decision for our courts and for the International Criminal Court, and the Minister should continue exactly as he is.
Minister reply
I agree.
Caroline Voaden
Lib Dem
South Devon
Question
Welcoming the ICC’s decision, Caroline questions whether it is time for stronger action against Israel, including ending arms exports and imposing sanctions.
Minister reply
Hamish Falconer states that they will continue to press points with vigour and keep all measures under review.
Melanie Ward
Lab
Cowdenbeath and Kirkcaldy
Question
Ward highlights evidence of the forcible displacement of Palestinians from Gaza, calling for sanctions against Israeli Ministers Smotrich and Ben-Gvir.
Minister reply
Falconer confirms they follow reports closely and have raised many issues but will not comment further on sanctions.
Stephen Gethins
SNP
Arbroath and Broughty Ferry
Question
Gethins asks if the Minister agrees that international law should apply to everyone, regardless of status.
Minister reply
Falconer affirms the commitment to the international rule of law.
Zarah Sultana
Your Party
Coventry South
Question
Sultana points out that despite UK-made F-35 parts being used in violation of international law, arms exports continue. She demands an end to complicity and imposition of sanctions.
Minister reply
Falconer reiterates the Foreign Secretary’s statement that suspending licences would undermine the global F-35 supply chain.
Shockat Adam
Ind
Leicester South
Question
Adam calls for recognition of Palestine and an end to all military and financial cooperation with Israel, given its leaders’ status as international fugitives.
Minister reply
Falconer states that while Palestinians have a right to a state alongside a secure Israel, direct contact will continue to bring the conflict to an end.
Hayes and Harlington
Question
McDonnell criticises the Government for not commenting on sanctions in advance, suggesting it undermines accountability.
Minister reply
Falconer explains that providing commentary would reduce the effectiveness of sanctions and mentions hundreds placed on Russia over time.
John Cooper
Con
Dumfries and Galloway
Question
Cooper asks about the assessment of Israel’s own ability to bring human rights cases in their courts.
Minister reply
Falconer mentions complementarity as per international law, noting it was considered by the pre-trial chamber.
Afzal Khan
Lab
Manchester Rusholme
Question
Khan asks if the UK must ensure perpetrators of war crimes and crimes against humanity are held accountable under international law.
Minister reply
Falconer agrees that support for international criminal justice is a priority.
Ellie Chowns
Green
North Herefordshire
Question
Chowns questions if the UK accepts obligations to prevent genocide, end unlawful occupation and bring perpetrators of breaches of law to justice. She asks what will change due to ICC and ICJ decisions.
Minister reply
Falconer confirms acceptance of international obligations, mentioning support for the ICC and commitment to the rule of law.
Clapham and Brixton Hill
Question
The UK has a responsibility not just to respect the independence of international courts, but to take active steps to promote compliance with international obligations. When nations or leaders have been accused of committing war crimes, the UK has held itself up as a global leader in placing sanctions. It is unconscionable that in this situation we are yet to stop all sales of arms to Israel. If Israel is accused of committing war crimes, does the continued sale of any arms to Israel not make the UK potentially complicit? Given the gravity of the situation, will the Minister further clarify why he cannot comment on sanctions, or indeed on the other steps that the Government are planning or willing to take to make clear the UK’s condemnation of the continued slaughter of civilians in Gaza?
Minister reply
Let me comment on arms sales, as they have been raised again. I will not rehearse the arguments about the F-35 exemption. In relation to the arms that are licensed to be sold to Israel, the category that has been suspended is the category that posed a risk of being involved in breaches of international humanitarian law in Gaza. Those weapons, we also believe, would be the weapons at issue in the west bank and in Lebanon. There is a second category of weapons that are for resale elsewhere, which is not relevant to events in Israel. There is a third category of weapons that are used either for defensive purposes or for purposes with which nobody in this House would disagree: body armour and helmets for aid workers going into Gaza, for example.
Solihull West and Shirley
Question
I have a degree of sympathy with the Minister, who has been asked to substitute in lieu of the Foreign Secretary today, so I will ask him a question of fact. Does he recognise that pursuant to section 23(6) of the International Criminal Court Act 2001, representatives of a non-state party to the Rome statute will remain immune from prosecution unless that non-state party expressly waives that right to the ICC?
Minister reply
I do not need sympathy, just careful listening. The same question was asked by the hon. Member for Hamble Valley (Paul Holmes), and the answer is the same. The shadow Attorney General has raised the matter with the Attorney General, and a letter will be sent in due course.
Richard Burgon
Lab
Leeds East
Question
I must press the Minister on the question of F-35 arms sales. He mentions direct and indirect arms sales, and he says that the indirect arms sales are either irrelevant or impossible to remedy. As I understand it, there is no reason why F-35 parts that are made in the UK, sold to the United States and used by Israel cannot be subject to a conditional licence under which they are sold to the United States with the proviso that they cannot be used in Gaza. Given that, how can it be legally or morally justifiable to continue allowing UK parts for fighter jets that are being used to kill Palestinian children to be exported even indirectly to an Israeli leader who faces an arrest warrant for war crimes and crimes against humanity? We hear about the review, but while that review has been ongoing under the last Government and this one, thousands and thousands of Palestinian civilians have been killed.
Minister reply
For clarity, we have suspended arms licences where parts for the F-35 programme are sold directly to Israel. Where they are sold to the global spares pool, it is not possible to disentangle where they go in that pool and see their final destination. That is why we have made the exemption, and it is why we judge that doing so is vital for the security of the UK, for our allies and for NATO.
Andrew George
Lib Dem
St Ives
Question
Does the Minister agree that the cold-blooded slaughter of tens of thousands of innocent people in Gaza cannot be justified as self-defence? Does he also agree that—contrary to the Trumpian line adopted by those on the Conservative Benches—just because a country is a democracy, that does not provide it with blanket immunity from international law?
Minister reply
The hon. Member refers to the terrible loss of life in Gaza, which is in the minds and hearts of the whole House. We are a democracy, as much as signatories to petitions may wish otherwise. We abide by international law and we expect our allies to do the same, and we make that point with force.
Chris Law
SNP
Dundee Central
Question
Let us remind this House why we are here. Benjamin Netanyahu and Yoav Gallant stand accused of very serious crimes: the crime against humanity of murder, and the crime against humanity of persecution and starvation as a weapon of war. Seventy per cent of those killed in this war are innocent women and children. Nobody in this House can think of a war in living memory in which 70% of those killed were women and children.
I want to ask the Minister a very specific question, because he has evaded all of this so far. Can he tell us one concrete step that he will take—apart from executing the arrest warrants, as the UK is obliged to do as a state party to the Rome statute—that we can all tangibly grasp? We would like to hear it, please.
Minister reply
I have been clear about what the Government have done and will continue to do. If the hon. Member would like a recap, on the very first morning that I became a Minister, we announced the restoration of funding to UNRWA. We have provided significant aid to the people of Gaza. We have provided aid that has not got into Gaza, and we have raised that with the Israelis. My ministerial colleagues and I have travelled to the region to press these issues, both alone and in company with the French Foreign Minister.
Tracy Gilbert
Lab
Edinburgh North and Leith
Question
The ICC found that there is no justification under international humanitarian law for the restriction of aid by the Israeli Government. Indeed, the ICC detailed how doctors have been forced to carry out treatments and amputations without anaesthetic, including on children. The Government’s response must include redoubling our efforts to get more aid into Gaza. Can my hon. Friend confirm what pressure is being put on the Israeli Government, in addition to what we have already done, to get more aid into Gaza?
Minister reply
In addition to the steps I have just outlined, we will be working closely with our partners and I hope to be able to update the House shortly on some of the measures we are taking, in company, to try to ensure that sufficient aid gets into Gaza, particularly over this vital winter period.
Iqbal Mohamed
Ind
Dewsbury and Batley
Question
The ICC arrest warrants are welcome, but in themselves they will not bring an end to Israeli war crimes and ethnic cleansing and the killing of innocent men, women and children. It is an international legal obligation on the UK Government to prevent ethnic cleansing and genocide. Will the Minister explain what specific measures the Government have taken and are taking to stop Israel’s ethnic cleansing in northern Gaza and what concrete steps the UK Government have taken to comply with the genocide convention?
Minister reply
The hon. Member asked about northern Gaza and some of the specific measures that have been taken. As I said in answer to a previous question, we have been paying close attention to events in northern Gaza. By way of example, we watched closely—with horror—the events at Kamal Adwan hospital. I raised them myself repeatedly with the Israeli authorities and urged them to preserve life at that hospital, including among the children.
Dan Aldridge
Lab
Weston-super-Mare
Question
Many of my constituents have written to me to express their horror at what is happening in Gaza. Does the Minister agree that the United Nations Relief and Works Agency plays an indispensable role in the provision of humanitarian assistance, and does he oppose the Bills recently passed in the Knesset that would prevent UNRWA’s operation?
Minister reply
I thank my hon. Friend for passing on the concern of his constituents; I know that that is felt right across the country and that many other Members would wish to put on record the concern of their constituents too. I do condemn the Knesset Bill in relation to UNRWA. We have made the point clear that UNRWA is indispensable.
Clive Jones
Lib Dem
Wokingham
Question
It is crucial that the Labour Government comply with our obligations under international law to uphold the ICC’s ruling and enforce the arrest warrants against Israeli Ministers. Will the Minister confirm that the Government will not undermine the ICC’s ruling by unequivocally agreeing to uphold the arrest warrants?
Minister reply
I reassure the hon. Member and ask him to pass on to his constituents that this Government will indeed do the right thing and stand up for international law.
Ian Byrne
Lab
Liverpool West Derby
Question
If the Government acknowledge that the Prime Minister of Israel should be on trial for war crimes and crimes against humanity, how—morally and legally—can we continue to supply him with the weapons being used by Israel in its horrific assault on innocent civilians in Gaza?
Minister reply
I have outlined our position in relation to both our international and domestic obligations to the ICC and our position on arms sales. I reassure my hon. Friend that we will consider the findings of the ICC in the ongoing review process in relation to arms sales.
Ayoub Khan
Ind
Birmingham Perry Barr
Question
When it comes to the ICC, topics such as morality and equivalence do not feature; this is a principle of law. An independent body has made a finding, yet we have issues of democracy and morality being used to argue for some sort of impunity for leaders. Will the Minister state that if Benjamin Netanyahu arrived on these shores, if the ICC had issued warrants, we would at least detain him, subject to our domestic procedures?
Minister reply
The hon. Member makes an impassioned and welcome commitment to due process and the independence of the law, and I will not demur from that by providing commentary on what domestic courts might do in a hypothetical situation.
Yuan Yang
Lab
Earley and Woodley
Question
The Minister has set out the work he has been doing in travelling to the region and witnessing at first hand the blockage of aid into Gaza by the Israeli Government. The United Nations states that over 83% of food aid has been blocked, which leads to the risk and ongoing fact of starvation in the region. What can the Minister and the Government do in line with our positive obligation under international law to prevent future atrocities occurring in Gaza?
Minister reply
The Government are deeply concerned by the latest Integrated Food Security Phase Classification finding about food insecurity in Gaza. We are making efforts to try to ensure a more rapid and regular flow of aid, including items that have been barred, which often seem to be those that are most vital for winterisation—as the international humanitarian community call it—in Gaza.
Jim Shannon
DUP
Strangford
Question
Having seen and lived through the misuse of lawfare in Northern Ireland, whereby the terrorist uses law to target those who seek to live by the law while ignoring the fact that every one of their actions is illegal, I very firmly oppose the UK’s stamp of approval on any ICC decision on Israel. Will the Minister not recall that Israel has been defending itself under perpetual attack, and that this ICC ruling is simply affirming the Hamas agenda of hiding terrorism behind women and children, sacrificing them to achieve their goal?
Minister reply
I do not support the actions of Hamas—I condemn them outright and utterly. The actions of Hamas, including the continued keeping of hostages, represent unspeakable cruelty, both to the Israeli people and to British nationals.
Aylesbury
Question
In the west bank alone, UNRWA’s work includes running 97 schools and 43 health centres and providing public services such as clean drinking water and rubbish collection. Does the Minister agree that there is no viable alternative to UNRWA, and will he do everything in his power to ensure Israel allows its vital operations to continue?
Minister reply
I do agree. There is no alternative to UNRWA, and we will raise those points, both directly with Israel and in company.
Richard Quigley
Lab
Isle of Wight West
Question
Can the Minister reassure us that he and other Ministers have directly pressed Israel on compliance with international humanitarian law in their meetings with their counterparts?
Minister reply
I can. I did this morning, and I will continue to do so.
Peter Prinsley
Lab
Bury St Edmunds and Stowmarket
Question
Emily is a British citizen who has been held hostage ever since the attacks. Would the Minister explain what measures the Government are taking to make contact with those holding the hostages so that we can bring Emily home?
Minister reply
Hostage cases are some of the most horrifying situations that a family can face. I know that many people in this House have met with Emily’s family, and have seen at first hand their bravery.
Shadow Comment
Priti Patel
Shadow Comment
The ICC's decision does nothing to help secure hostage release or increase aid in Gaza; it benefits Hamas and Iran, undermining peace efforts. Questions raised include the Court’s jurisdiction over Israel (not a Rome Statute signatory), process errors, expert panel use, and Netanyahu’s immunity. The Government must clarify their position on these issues.
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