Asked by: Alex Cunningham (Labour - Stockton North)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, whether he has made an assessment of the implications for his policies of the case of Elizabeth Tsurkov who was kidnapped in Iraq in March 2023.
Answered by David Rutley - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK is concerned over the kidnapping of Israeli-Russian dual national Elizabeth Tsurkov. The Government of Iraq opened an investigation into her kidnapping last year, and we await the findings. Those suspected of criminal responsibility should be brought to justice in fair trials.
Asked by: Alex Cunningham (Labour - Stockton North)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, what recent discussions he has had with his counterparts in (a) EU and (b) African Union countries on (i) preventing a possible genocide in Gaza and (ii) providing accountability for possible violations of the Genocide Convention in Gaza.
Answered by Andrew Mitchell - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office) (Minister for Development)
The UK Government closely follows the security situation in the Occupied Palestinian Territories and maintains a regular dialogue with international counterparts.
We recognise that Israel has the right to defend itself against Hamas, in accordance with International Humanitarian Law (IHL). We do not believe that calling this genocide is the right approach. It is wrong to suggest that Israeli leadership, and Israel as a country, have the intention to commit genocide.
Ultimately, it is for the courts to decide on matters of genocide, not for states. We respect the role and independence of the International Court of Justice.
Asked by: Alex Cunningham (Labour - Stockton North)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether his Department is taking steps to monitor (a) incidents of physical assault and (b) obstruction of emergency medical teams of Palestinian health workers.
Answered by David Rutley - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The work of healthcare workers across the globe is vital and they must be protected when carrying out their critical work. We recognise that under international humanitarian law, Israel, as the occupying power, has a duty of ensuring and maintaining public health to the fullest extent possible. The wounded and critically ill in Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territories should be able to access the urgent medical care they need. The British Embassy in Tel Aviv regularly raises the importance of regularised access to healthcare with the Israeli authorities. During his call on 4 July with the Israeli chargé d'affaires in London, the Minister of State for the Middle East, Lord (Tariq) Ahmad of Wimbledon, urged Israel to safeguard access to healthcare and take proactive steps to guarantee the safety of civilians during Israeli operations in the West Bank. The Foreign Secretary also emphasised the importance of the proactive protection of civilians during his call with Israeli Foreign Minister Eli Cohen on 5 July.
Asked by: Alex Cunningham (Labour - Stockton North)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what diplomatic steps he is taking to help ensure the safety of LGBT+ human rights defenders and activists in Uganda.
Answered by Andrew Mitchell - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office) (Minister for Development)
The British Government is appalled and disappointed by the Government of Uganda’s decision to sign the Anti-Homosexuality Bill into law.
Asked by: Alex Cunningham (Labour - Stockton North)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, if he will make an assessment of the implications for his policies of the impact of Israel's closure of crossings with Gaza on the (a) ability of Palestinian patients to travel to the West Bank and East Jerusalem to receive medical treatment and (b) entry of humanitarian relief supplies into Gaza.
Answered by David Rutley - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
We urge Israel to allow access into and out of Gaza and the West Bank, in accordance with international humanitarian law, for humanitarian actors, reconstruction materials and those, including Palestinians, travelling for medical purposes. The British Embassy in Tel Aviv regularly raises the importance of this issue with the Israeli authorities. We strongly condemn all forms of violence and incitement to violence directed towards healthcare workers. The wounded and critically ill in Gaza and the West Bank should be able to access the urgent medical care they need. The UK Government welcomes any effort to cooperate between the Israeli and Palestinian peoples, including in the healthcare sector. When the Foreign Secretary wrote to the Israeli counterpart Eli Cohen on 10 May, he asked him to facilitate humanitarian access to Gaza.
Asked by: Alex Cunningham (Labour - Stockton North)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether his Department is taking steps to help ensure the safe passage of (a) local and (b) international (i) medical and (ii) humanitarian personnel through the Erez crossing during airstrike attacks on Gaza.
Answered by David Rutley - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
We urge Israel to allow access into and out of Gaza and the West Bank, in accordance with international humanitarian law, for humanitarian actors, reconstruction materials and those, including Palestinians, travelling for medical purposes. The British Embassy in Tel Aviv regularly raises the importance of this issue with the Israeli authorities. We strongly condemn all forms of violence and incitement to violence directed towards healthcare workers. The wounded and critically ill in Gaza and the West Bank should be able to access the urgent medical care they need. The UK Government welcomes any effort to cooperate between the Israeli and Palestinian peoples, including in the healthcare sector. When the Foreign Secretary wrote to the Israeli counterpart Eli Cohen on 10 May, he asked him to facilitate humanitarian access to Gaza.
Asked by: Alex Cunningham (Labour - Stockton North)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether he has had recent discussions with his Israeli counterpart on reports of airstrikes targeting residential buildings in Gaza.
Answered by David Rutley - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
We continue to monitor the ongoing humanitarian situation in Gaza and welcome the recent ceasefire brokered by Egypt. All countries, including Israel, have a legitimate right to self-defence. The reports of civilian Palestinian casualties, including women and children, are alarming. It is vital that all security actions are proportionate, in line with international humanitarian law, and calibrated to avoid civilian casualties as much as possible. The Foreign Secretary made this clear to Israeli Foreign Minister Eli Cohen when he wrote to him on 10 May.
Asked by: Alex Cunningham (Labour - Stockton North)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, if he will make an assessment of the implications for his policies of the report by the World Health Organisation entitled World malaria report 2022, published on 8 December 2022.
Answered by Andrew Mitchell - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office) (Minister for Development)
The World Malaria Report 2022 reported that numbers of malaria cases and deaths remained broadly stable in 2021 following an increase in 2020, with 247 million cases and 619,000 deaths. The eleven WHO high burden countries have recorded modest positive results with deaths reducing from 445,000 to 428,000 and cases holding steady at 168 million compared to 165 million in 2020. On 12 December I gave the keynote speech at the UK Launch of the World Malaria Report.
The Global Fund to Fight AIDS, TB and Malaria is the main channel for UK funding to address malaria. The UK is a long-standing supporter of the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria and the third largest historic donor. The UK has pledged £1 billion to the Global Fund's seventh replenishment (2023-2025), which will help save over 1 million lives and avert over 28 million new infections across the three diseases. In addition to this the UK also supports research and development in to new tools to address malaria and provides bilateral support to malaria endemic countries to strengthen their health systems.
Asked by: Alex Cunningham (Labour - Stockton North)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent discussions he has had with his Israeli counterpart on the imprisonment of Palestinian children in Israeli military detention.
Answered by David Rutley - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
We call on Israel to abide by its obligations under international law and have a regular dialogue with Israel on legal issues relating to the occupation, including the treatment of Palestinian children. We are committed to working with Israel to secure improvements to the practices surrounding children in detention and raise this with the Israeli Ministry of Justice.
Asked by: Alex Cunningham (Labour - Stockton North)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, if he will make an estimate of the number of times Israeli forces raided schools in the West Bank in 2022; and what recent discussions he has had with his Israeli counterpart on the impact of these raids on education in the West Bank.
Answered by David Rutley - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK is firmly committed to ensuring access to education for all Palestinians. We repeatedly call on Israel to abide by its obligations under international law and have a regular dialogue with Israel on legal issues relating to the occupation. It is essential to have a strong and thriving Palestinian education system in order to provide opportunities, economic development and hope for the next generation.