Israel and Gaza
Debate between Earl of Courtown and Lord Howell of Guildford(1 year ago)
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The Earl of Courtown (Con)
We have only three and a half more minutes. Can people be as quick as they can with their questions?
Lord Howell of Guildford (Con)
My Lords, after that fine prayer, I have just one question. While it is clear that the Hamas butchers should be hunted down for their revolting crimes against humanity and made to pay for them, and while we somehow have to get out those hostages who have not been executed in cold blood by Hamas in the meantime, does the Minister agree that minds should begin to turn, for the longer term, to revisiting the two-state process and combining it with the best features of the Oslo accords and the Abraham accords, into which great thought was put? In the future, they are the key to Israel’s sustainability, survivability and the stability of the whole region.
Nagorno-Karabakh
Debate between Earl of Courtown and Lord Howell of Guildford
The Earl of Courtown (Con)
As the noble Lord said, if we can get reconciliation between the parties, we will go a long way towards resolving some of this crisis. He commented on the process and, as I said, our position at the moment is that the US, the EU and France are taking the lead for a number of reasons, as he will be aware. But we will of course be there to offer any aid we can, and it will be interesting to hear what my noble friend Lord Ahmad has managed to achieve at the UN.
Lord Howell of Guildford (Con)
Let us remember that one more intractable problem is the existence in Baku of thousands of displaced Azerbaijanis from the original struggle. They have lost their lands and are living in extreme poverty and difficulty and, understandably, are putting on pressure to get back and reclaim their properties. That is one more angle that is important for our Ministers to remember at the United Nations. Also, of course, Azerbaijan has been a good and supportive friend of the United Kingdom and vice versa, and it is important in the overall geopolitics of the region. We should bear that in mind as well. There is injustice and justice on both sides; that is why the problem is intractable.