West Bank: Purchase of Settlement Land and Property

Lord Polak Excerpts

Monday 6th July 2026 Lords Chamber

[Baroness Primarolo (Lab)]

My Lords—

[Lord Polak (Con)]

My Lords—

[Baroness Helic (Con)]

My Lords—

--- Later in debate ---

[Baroness Chapman of Darlington (Lab)]

In this Government’s view, the purchases do not help to bring about a two-state solution or peace and stability in the region. That is why we have taken the position that we have, and it is why we ultimately recognised the State of Palestine in the summer of last year. All these issues come about because of a failure by many to understand that, to have a two-state solution, you need safety, security and prosperity on both sides of the fence.

[Lord Polak (Con)]

My Lords—

[Baroness Helic (Con)]

My Lords—

[Lord Kennedy of Southwark (Lab Co-op)]

My Lords, it is the turn of the Conservative Benches. Can they please make up their minds as to who will ask the question?

[Lord Polak (Con)]

I appreciate the noble Baroness, Lady Helic, giving way, because the debate has been one-sided. The noble Baroness, Lady Deech, was right: the double standards on show are staggering. Is it okay for a Brit to purchase property in occupied Northern Cyprus? What useful objective does the Minister consider that this proposal will achieve, other than propagating the deeply antisemitic notion that Judea and Samaria—an area, I remind the House, that remained under Israeli administration throughout the Oslo accords—should be ethnically cleansed of its Jews?