Middle East

Baroness Anderson of Stoke-on-Trent Excerpts

Thursday 16th October 2025 Lords Chamber

[Lord Walney (CB)]

My Lords—

[Baroness in Waiting/Government Whip (Baroness Anderson of Stoke-on-Trent)]

My Lords, there is time for both noble Lords to speak, so we will go to the Liberal Democrats and then to our colleague from the Cross Benches.

[Baroness Hussein-Ece (LD)]

My Lords, I am president of Liberal Democrat Friends of Palestine. I absolutely accept what the Leader of the House just said about Hamas. It is coming up a lot that Hamas has no place in any future governance of a free and independent Palestine. I think everyone agrees on that. The tributes to the Arab and Muslim countries, which have been vital and instrumental in bringing this about, have been very well placed. I am particularly pleased that Turkey’s President Erdoğan has played such a key role, as was emphasised by President Trump, to put pressure on Hamas to agree to this deal and to all the conditions on it to disarm.

We are now in a very fragile moment between phase 1 and phase 2. Phase 1 is clear now: the urgent need is for aid to come in. The Rafah crossing is still closed.