In a statement to Parliament this week, I was very pleased to see the Foreign Secretary outline the government’s new approach to illegal settlements in the West Bank under Prime Minister Andy Burnham and announce strong actions, including:
- Concluding that Israel’s ongoing occupation of Palestinian territory is unlawful, in line with the finding of the International Court of Justice, and that ethnic cleansing is taking place in areas of the West Bank.
- Banning trade in goods from illegal Israeli settlements.
- Going after individuals and companies that provide services to support, facilitate or profit from illegal settlement activity.
- Banning advertising or promotion of land and property in illegal settlements.
- Strengthening our existing global human rights sanctions regime to go after those who defy international humanitarian law in Palestine, and around the world too.
- Using our existing global human rights regime to sanction several extremist settlers who have supported or incited acts of violence against Palestinian communities.
The abhorrent violence and suffering we have seen in Gaza over the last three years is a stain on the conscience of the world. In the West Bank, we see daily acts of settler terrorism against Palestinian communities as well as the acceleration of new illegal settlements, including the recent launch of tenders for the E1 settlement project by the Israeli government which would cut through the heart of the West Bank and render a two-state solution unviable.
The Foreign Secretary has taken strong action in response to this, while being absolutely clear that this is directed at the government of Israel, not its people. Israel faces stark security threats, most severely from Iran, which is why the government also announced it would reimpose major economic sanctions on Iran and bear down on its network of proxy groups including Hezbollah.
The only route to security in the region is a safe and secure Israel alongside a safe and secure Palestinian state, offering freedom and self-determination for both peoples. That has long been the North Star of this government’s policy in the region. I was proud to support the decision taken last year under this commitment to formally recognise the State of Palestine, and I am pleased to support new action taken this week to stand up for our values and work further toward this end.
I continue to monitor the situation closely and share the strong concerns of many Luton South and South Bedfordshire constituents about the deteriorating situation on the ground. If you have further issues to raise, please do get in touch by emailing [email protected].