Debate on Iran-Israel Statement at the House of Commons
in the British Parliament
Dr Mozammel Haque
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Labour Member of Parliament for Brent Central, Dawn Butler said, “Prime
Minister, I condemn Iran and Hamas—let me start there—but we must not lose
focus on the situation in Gaza, where there is a humanitarian crisis and
famine. It is just destruction that people are seeing in front of their eyes.
If we want to ensure that the hostages come home—like the hostage who has been
adopted in Brent, Noa Argamani—we must argue for a ceasefire, not a pause. Will
the Prime Minister clearly state that we should be calling for an immediate
ceasefire on all sides?”
Labour Member of Parliament for the constituency of Coventry South,
Zarah Sultana, said, “I have notified the office of the hon. Member for Rutland
and Melton (Alicia Kearns), who chairs the Foreign Affairs Committee, that I would
reference her in my question. It was recently revealed that she told a private
fundraising event:
“The Foreign Office has received official legal advice that Israel has
broken international humanitarian law, but the Government has not announced
it.”
She asked, “I have a simple question for the Prime Minister. If he
cannot answer it—if he dodges and deflects—our constituents will know that he
is hiding the truth. Was the Chair of the Foreign Affairs Committee telling the
truth—yes or no?”
(Ross, Skye and
Lochaber) (SNP)
SNP Member of Parliament for the Constituency Ross, Skye and Lochabar
said, “We live in deeply unsettling times, and the Prime Minister, along with
our allies, is right to call for a de-escalation. When he has his discussions
with Prime Minister Netanyahu this afternoon, will he convey to him that now is
the time to step back? There must be no further escalation in the middle east.
Now is the time to recognise that both Israelis and Palestinians must live in
peace, and for that we need the two-state solution. In 2014, when we had an
outbreak of violence in Gaza, the then Prime Minister David Cameron
unequivocally called for a ceasefire. We must today put an end to the conflict
and the killing in that region for the benefit of both these countries.”
He added, “Finally if I may say so, I welcome the Prime Minister’s
comments on the situation in Ukraine, but we are all aware of the reports of a
build-up of Russian activity. I say to the Prime Minister that we must do more
today with our allies to protect our friends, and give them the tools they need
to defend themselves and to ensure that Russia is defeated.”
(Gillingham and
Rainham) (Con)
Conservative Member of Parliament for the constituency Gillingham and
Rainham, Rehman Chishti, said, “The United Kingdom stands for an international
rules-based system, respecting the sovereignty and territorial integrity of
other nations. That is one of our key objectives with regard to Ukraine. I
condemn in the fullest Iran’s attack on Israel, and I have previously condemned
Iran’s malign behaviour in the region. The question on people’s minds is this:
what information or intelligence does the Prime Minister have about what went
on in Iran’s consulate in Damascus that led to the attack? The international community
and people around the world want to see the United Kingdom applying
international law consistently across the board.”
Labour Member of Parliament for the constituency Leeds East, Richard
Burgon said, “This is a very dangerous moment. The UN Secretary-General rightly
told the Security Council last night:
“Now is the time to defuse and de-escalate”.
“Ordinary people in both Israel and Iran, and across the whole region
and the wider world, will pay the price if this escalates. The
Secretary-General also rightly reiterated the call for an immediate ceasefire
in Gaza, as the Security Council voted for, given the huge loss of life there.
This is the first opportunity that we have had to question the Prime Minister
since the recent killing of British nationals in Gaza. Is he planning to
appoint an independent adviser to scrutinise the Israeli inquiry into those
deaths of British nationals, similar to what Australia has done?”
Labour Member of Parliament for the constituency Manchester Gorton,
Afzal Khan, said, “Twelve-year-old Zain Arouq miraculously survived Israel’s
bombing that killed most of his family in Gaza three months ago, but he was
killed this weekend by an aid airdrop when he was searching for scraps of food
because the parachute did not open. Zain and thousands of others would still be
alive had allies like the UK and the US pushed Israel to adhere to the UN
resolution on a ceasefire in Gaza, which would allow aid to reach starving
children safely. Will the Prime Minister set out exactly what repercussions
Israel will face for failing to abide by the UN Security Council motion?”
Labour Member of Parliament for the constituency of Battersea, Marsha De
Cordova, said, “While globally the attention is rightly focused on Israel and
Iran, and we are all in agreement that the next step has to be de-escalation,
the situation in Gaza is worsening every day. More than 33,000 lives have been
lost and more than 1 million will now be facing imminent famine. The UK almost
stands alone in not restoring funding to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency.
Will the Prime Minister tell us when he will set out a clear path for funding
to resume?”
Labour Member of Parliament for the constituency of Bradford West, Naz
Shah, said, “Much has been said by the Prime Minister and other Conservative
Members about the normalisation process between Saudi Arabia and Israel. On 9
January, the Saudi ambassador to the United Kingdom told Radio 4 that that
normalisation process was subject to a two-state solution and a fully
recognised Palestine.”
She continued, “Having put that on the record, I remind the Prime
Minister that support for any nation is not like the unconditional support that
he has for his football team. When Iran acts like a rogue state in Syria, we
rightly call it out and, when Israel taunts Iran by bombing its consulate
building, knowing full well that Iran will respond and risking further
escalation, we must call it out as well. What is the Prime Minister doing in
his efforts to ensure that the two-state solution and the recognition of
Palestine are being actively pursued?”
SNP Member of Parliament for the constituency of Edinburgh South West,
Joanna Cherry, “I hold no candle for the Iranian regime. In fact, I recently
co-authored a report on its disgraceful oppression of women and girls, which we
concluded amounted to gender apartheid. However, just as Iran must be held to
the standards of international law, so must Israel. The Prime Minister has paid
tribute to the three brave British aid workers who were killed by the Israel
Defence Forces. Will he condemn Israel for their wrongful killing, and will he
also condemn it for the ongoing slaughter of innocent life in Gaza?”
(Birmingham,
Perry Barr) (Lab)
Labour Member of Parliament for the constituency of Birmingham, Perry
Barr, Khalid Mahmood, said, “I deplore the attack by the IDF on the consulate
in Syria, and I totally deplore the massive attack by Iran, which launched 301
drones and missiles towards Israel. Iran knew full well that this attack would
detract from the great work that we need to do in Gaza to support people who
are starving and young children who are suffering from malnutrition. Will the
Prime Minister commit to oppose escalation in the region by any of the
countries involved? As he said in his statement, we need to concentrate on supporting
young people and those who are dying in Gaza.”
Green Party Member of Parliament for the Constituency of Brighton,
Pavilion, Caroline Lucas, said, “Like the whole House, I condemn the attack on
Israel by the tyrannical Iranian regime, just as I deeply condemn the
atrocities of Hamas, but I am also incredibly concerned that our Prime Minister
has now pitched the UK into a perilous war—and in support of an Israeli
Government presided over by Netanyahu, a man who chose to bomb an Iranian
embassy because he is dependent on his hard-right provocateurs. That was itself
a dangerous escalation by Israel and a further breach of international law, so
if the Prime Minister’s priority is indeed international law and de-escalation,
why is he not calling now for an urgent bilateral ceasefire to get the hostages
home and to get the region on the path to peace?” located here
Labour Member of Parliament for the constituency East Ham, Stephen Timms, said, “I welcome the support of the Prime Minister and the Government for the resolution on Gaza adopted recently by the United Nations Security Council. Israel is currently in breach of that resolution. How does that affect the Prime Minister’s view of the current actions of Israel in the middle east?”
[Continued..]
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