Thank you for your email regarding a ceasefire in Gaza and Israel, and the amendment to the King’s Speech on the matter.
I did not vote for the amendment to the King’s Speech on the ceasefire. The reasons for this are that the King’s Speech sets forward the government’s legislative plans for the next year. It is not for the purpose of making foreign policy. The vote had no bearing on the conflict itself. Had Parliament approved the motion, it had no jurisdiction to enforce such a measure.
However, I do agree with the sentiment of your email. The loss of innocent lives on both sides is a horrifying tragedy and, while acknowledging that Hamas has enmeshed itself behind the civilian population of Gaza, the UK Prime Minister and new Foreign Secretary, David Cameron, must do all they can to ensure the Israeli Government complies with international law and avoids any further harm to civilians.
More broadly, there are two different issues at play here – two different solutions needed.
The first is the humanitarian catastrophe.
The rapidly deteriorating situation in Gaza has been nothing short of heart breaking. The UK has long been a significant provider of humanitarian aid to the Palestinian people, and I welcome that on 16 October, the UK Government announced that it will increase aid by a third, with an additional £10 million of support.
I also welcome that the Rafah crossing has been opened to allow humanitarian aid into Gaza. However, I support calls for the flow of both migrants out of, and aid in to, the region to be significantly increased. The agreement announced on 21 November between Israel and Hamas to release some of the hostages held in Gaza and to pause the fighting temporarily is a crucial step. This pause is an opportunity to ensure much greater volumes of aid can enter Gaza, and I welcome that the Foreign Secretary has urged all parties to ensure the agreement is delivered in full. I am further encouraged by the fact that the ceasefire has been extended to facilitate additional releases of hostages. However this is clearly an incredibly difficult and fast moving situation.
The second issue is the political risk
I believe it to be incredibly important that we strike the right balance in supporting Israel's right to self-defence whilst also acknowledging the significant civilian casualties and unparalleled destruction that has been experienced in Gaza. There are no heroes in this war, only victims. Every bomb and every death is a recruiter to the terrorist cause. There is so much at stake here and it needs collective, collaborative global approach. There are terrible risks, not only to Israel and Gaza, but to us and to our future relationships with partners in the wider region, as well as the dangers of this boiling over into a regional conflict.
Ultimately, this is not a disaster that started on 7th October 2023, it has been ongoing over many decades, fuelled by violence and oppression, occupation and resistance. There have been various attempts over this time to find a lasting solution – the Oslo agreement was within touching distance, the Arab Peace Agreement made important progress. However in recent years any progress appears to have been lost, peace now cannot be a return to how things were before, it must deliver a genuine two state solution where both sides feel free to live in peace. It will require a colossal international effort to get us to that place. That work has already started and must continue as a matter of the utmost urgency.