Oral Answers to Questions

Clive Jones Excerpts

Tuesday 26th November 2024 Commons Chamber

[Hamish Falconer]

We continue to engage heavily on those issues—the Foreign Secretary was in Moldova last week. We are committed to enhancing the UK’s soft power after a period of decline, and that is why the Foreign Secretary will be launching the soft power council with my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport in the coming weeks.

[Clive Jones (Wokingham) (LD)]

2. What assessment he has made of the potential merits of sanctioning violent illegal Israeli settlers.

[Mr Clive Betts (Sheffield South East) (Lab)]

10. Whether he plans to extend existing sanctions in response to settler violence in the west bank to Israeli Ministers.

[The Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs (Mr David Lammy)]

Palestinian communities have suffered horrific violence at the hands of Israeli settlers. In October, the Government sanctioned three outposts and four entities linked to violence in the west bank. I will not speculate about future sanctions designations—doing so would only reduce their impact—but we continue to explore all options to take tougher action.

[Clive Jones]

Settlement expansion in the Occupied Palestinian Territories remains one of the biggest barriers to peace in the middle east. In October the Foreign Secretary said:

“As long as violent extremists remain unaccountable, the UK and the international community will continue to act.”

Will he commit today to considering sanctions against the extremist Ministers Ben-Gvir and Smotrich of the Israeli Government?

[Mr Lammy]

I have been very clear in office. In October, I targeted the Amana settler group, which operates as a commercial construction company, and I was pleased that the US followed us in those sanctions just last week. I was also concerned about a religious school promoting violence against Jews, and I sanctioned it. A non-governmental organisation provided volunteers for illegal outposts, and I sanctioned it. Of course we continue to keep sanctions policy under consideration. We are very concerned by the violence, by the expansion, and by the rhetoric that we are hearing from members of the Israeli Government.