Israel and Palestine
I think they have a slightly different regime, but I am in touch with my Dutch colleague and will definitely ask him if we can do it more quickly.
Showing every spoken contribution, including 12,832 under 12 words. Hide short remarks
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Israel and Palestine
I thank the hon. Gentleman for his kind remarks. I believe in accountability for war crimes. That is what the international courts are for.
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Israel and Palestine
My hon. Friend has campaigned on these issues for a long time. He is absolutely right about the importance of both accountability and international law. We will be guided by it.
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Israel and Palestine
We want to do everything we can to help Palestinian children in Gaza and the west bank. The best thing we can do is get a two-state solution without the intimidation, threats, death and destruction that so many Palestinian children have faced. I take this opportunity to congratulate the children at the school in the hon. Gentleman’s constituency on being moved by this issue and advocating on it.
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Israel and Palestine
We do not comment on intelligence and security matters, but I can honestly assure my hon. Friend that we are not involved in the occupation or actions in Gaza and the west bank. That is not the nature of our intelligence and security co-operation with Israel.
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Israel and Palestine
I say bluntly to the hon. Member that we should have acted earlier. It has taken the new Prime Minister to come in and recognise the gravity of the situation and the degree of public concern on these questions. We concur with the ICJ’s conclusions on the unlawfulness of the occupation and we will ensure that we abide by what that implies.
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Israel and Palestine
I feel moved by what my hon. Friend has asked. I really thank her for the work that she has been doing. As I thought long and hard about the statement and some of the words I used—one has to weigh one’s words carefully—I thought precisely that those people who are under, for example, settler terrorism and the attempts at ethnic cleansing deserve at least the truth to be told about what they are facing. So, absolutely, this is in part an expression of solidarity with the people my hon. Friend talks about.
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Israel and Palestine
Let me deal with those two issues. First, one thing that I said in my statement was that the declaration on the occupation means we will now look at all arms licences to see whether they materially contribute to the occupation; if they do, they will not be allowed. Secondly, part of the point of a sanctions regime is proper enforcement, and we will do that.
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Israel and Palestine
I can assure my hon. Friend on his last point: all licences that materially contribute to the occupation will not be allowed. That is why we now have a double lock in relation not only to Gaza but to the occupation. On the speed of action, we want to move as speedily as we can with these measures.
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Israel and Palestine
I undertake to work with Members across the House on these questions; more unites us than divides us on them, and we do need to act. I say to the hon. Member and others in the House that part of acting is upholding Israel’s right to exist and its security, which includes opposing BDS, because part of being faithful to a two-state solution is upholding the rights of the Palestinian people and the Israeli people.
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Israel and Palestine
My hon. Friend is right: this is a heartbreaking emergency both in the west bank and in Gaza. Part of the advocacy and the work we now want to do, including at UNGA, is about moving forward on those questions and making a difference both in Gaza and in the west bank.
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Israel and Palestine
I will not answer every point that the hon. Member made. We have announced a comprehensive set of measures today. I say to him—I want to be careful in what I say—that it is very important that, as I said in my statement, our action against the occupied territories cannot be about the erasure of Israel. It is important that all of us in the House respect the role of Israel as a homeland for the Jewish people and protect its security as part of our commitment to a two-state solution.
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Israel and Palestine
Absolutely; this must be a campaign for us all. It is about government, but truthfully it is also about us as a society—in fact, it is even more about us as a society, because the Government can do their bit, but it is about what each of us as individuals do to counter antisemitism.
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Israel and Palestine
We believe that trade with green-line Israel is important. We value it and we do not believe that it should be ended. It is so important in this House that we make the distinction between the occupied territories and green-line Israel.
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Israel and Palestine
My hon. Friend raises a really important issue, and I or the Minister for the Middle East will take that up.
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Israel and Palestine
Yes, absolutely. My hon. Friend is completely right.
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Israel and Palestine
I 100% agree with my hon. Friend.
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Israel and Palestine
I totally share what my hon. Friend said about this or a future Israeli Government. We want them to draw back; we want them to change course.
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Israel and Palestine
I absolutely concur with my hon. Friend. She speaks very eloquently about this.
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Israel and Palestine
My hon. Friend is absolutely right. This is just the beginning of what we must do in this endeavour, and there is so much more to do.
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Israel and Palestine
I send my deepest condolences to the family of my hon. Friend’s constituent. What happened was a horrifying event. Those were people trying to make a difference in a humanitarian way to the people of Gaza. I will endeavour to talk to her, along with the Minister for the Middle East, about whether we can do more on that issue and what that might be.
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Israel and Palestine
My hon. Friend makes an important point. It is the coalition of countries that we have, as well as our actions, that gives us hope that we can actually make a difference on this issue, both substantively in relation to sanctions and on all of the humanitarian issues that so many Members have raised.
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Israel and Palestine
Absolutely. I say this with some sorrow: it has been obvious that there has been collusion for a long time and the collusion has been allowed to continue. That is the view of former Israeli Prime Ministers and, frankly, former Israeli generals who have spoken out on the issue. I continue to urge the Government of Israel to deal with that.
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Israel and Palestine
I, too, pay tribute to my hon. Friend the Member for Luton North (Sarah Owen). I say more widely that my hon. Friend the Member for Peterborough (Andrew Pakes) is right: we need to work with our international partners—at this time of all times—to uphold international law in Gaza, in the west bank and elsewhere.
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Israel and Palestine
My hon. Friend is absolutely right. I say to Members of the House that while I am critical of the current Israeli Government, this occupation has become entrenched over a long period. We have to work to unwind it and find ways in which we can get back to a two-state solution, and we have to act urgently.
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Israel and Palestine
My hon. friend raises a really important point, which is that this issue has mobilised ordinary British people right across our country. It is really important to understand that. The immorality of what is happening has stirred the conscience of millions of people across our country, and it is right that we act.
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Israel and Palestine
Yes, my hon. Friend is absolutely right about this. E1 crossed a long-standing red line for the international community, which is why we saw such an outpouring from our allies. He is absolutely right about the urgency of acting.
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Israel and Palestine
This is something that we work on with the courts, and the most important thing is upholding the role of both the ICC and the ICJ in these processes. They are incredibly important institutions, in the view of the British Government.
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Israel and Palestine
I will undertake to look at that issue. We are very clear that we do not want to see illegal settlement expansion, so I promise to look at this. I want to take this opportunity to thank all Members of this House for their questions, and I reiterate my undertaking to work with Members across Parliament as we take forward these issues.
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Israel and Palestine
On behalf of all communities in Glasgow South West, I thank my right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary and the Prime Minister for their global leadership. That leadership means we call the atrocities in the west bank terrorism and ethnic cleansing, and that we continue to support the Gazans—with full fervour—with anything they require. On Gaza, he knows that many of my NHS colleagues have worked and served there, so may I ask him to continue to support them, and to provide medical aid not only by bringing children here, but by making sure there is better infrastructure closer to home?
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Israel and Palestine
I thank the Foreign Secretary for lifting the mood of the whole House. We are no longer bystanders wringing our hands; we are doing something active, and I thank him for that. I met Dr Nick Maynard this week. He is a surgeon in Gaza, and it is clear that the health professions have been deliberately targeted, with more than 2,000 killed. There is even a new word for it: healthicide. Will the Foreign Secretary meet me and some doctors to discuss how we can prevent this happening?
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Israel and Palestine
I thank the Secretary of State for his statement, which I know has the support of British Jewish organisations such as Yachad and Progressive Judaism. I was with the Father of the House when, in an incident he has talked about, gun-wielding settlers came to visit us while we were in the west bank, and they had British accents, which is distressing. The Secretary of State said in his statement that this is a “prelude to justice”. Will the Government consider looking at universal jurisdiction so that British citizens who are supporting the illegal occupation will face the full force of the law?
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Conflict in Sudan
Order. I remind hon. Members that they should bob if they wish to be called. If Members can stick to five minutes each, it will be much appreciated: that will enable everyone to speak.
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Conflict in Sudan
I thank everyone for their contributions. I cannot help noticing that powerfully standing up for women in Sudan have been the hon. Member for Gillingham and Rainham (Naushabah Khan), who secured the debate, and three Front-Bench women. Question put and agreed to. Resolved, That this House has considered the conflict in Sudan.
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Vehicle Theft
I will call Liz Jarvis to move the motion; I will then call the Minister to respond. I remind other Members that they may make a speech only with prior permission from the Member in charge of the debate and from the Minister. As is the convention for 30-minute debates, there will not be an opportunity for the Member in charge to wind up.
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Media Green Paper
Order. Please note that, to get everybody in, I need to impose a five-minute time limit.
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Media Green Paper
I call Ann Davies.
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Topical Questions
T4. In areas such as mine in the east midlands, growth has been too low because spending has been too low. As life has become unaffordable, growth has fallen even further. We are seeing that with growth in my local area, as well as nationally, with a rising output gap. Will the Minister set out how making life affordable will make growth rise in Loughborough, Shepshed and the villages?
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Private Investment: Local Leaders
2. What steps he is taking with local leaders to attract private investment into areas that have historically received lower levels of investment.
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Private Investment: Local Leaders
Stoke and north Staffordshire is an industrial heartland known around the world for its prowess in ceramics. With the right support, its full economic potential can be unleashed. As an officer on the Labour Reindustrialisation Research Group, I am working with Stoke council on a reindustrialisation plan to ensure that Stoke and north Staffordshire make the fullest possible contribution to growth across the UK. Will the Minister commit the Treasury to working with us on a reindustrialisation plan to maximise our region’s expertise in advanced materials, defence and digital technology, so that we can all go forth and prosper?