Asked by: Henry Tufnell (Labour - Mid and South Pembrokeshire)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of (a) imposing further sanctions on settlers in the West Bank and (b) restricting goods, trade and investment in Israeli settlements in the West Bank.
Answered by Hamish Falconer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
We are deeply concerned by the levels of violence towards settlers in the West Bank and continue to urge the Government of Israel to take action to hold violence to account. On 10 June 2025, together with international partners Australia, Canada, New Zealand and Norway, we announced measures against Israeli government ministers Ben-Gvir and Smotrich. We sanctioned these individuals in their personal capacity as a result of their repeated incitement of violence against Palestinian civilians in the West Bank. This followed a previous sanctions announcement related to settler violence on 20 May, demonstrating our determination to hold extremist settlers to account as Palestinian communities suffer violence and intimidation. It would not be appropriate to speculate about any potential future sanctions designations as to do so could reduce their impact, but we have been clear we keep these issues under close review.
The UK does not recognise the Occupied Palestinian Territories, including Israeli settlements, as part of Israel. Goods imported from the settlements are therefore not entitled to benefit from trade preferences under the UK-Israel Trade and Partnership Agreement. The UK also supports accurate labelling of settlement goods, so as not to mislead the consumer.
Asked by: Henry Tufnell (Labour - Mid and South Pembrokeshire)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to help ensure the safe passage of aid to Gaza; and what discussions he has had with his Israeli counterpart on the Madleen vessel.
Answered by Hamish Falconer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
We are aware of the interception of the Madleen and the arrest of its passengers by Israeli Naval Forces on 09 June. We note that this happened without serious incident or injury to any passenger.
Over the weekend and last week, we pressed the Israeli authorities in advance of the ship's arrival to ensure that any action they took would resolve the situation safely, with restraint, and in line with International Law.
The humanitarian situation in Gaza is appalling. The UK continues to demand that the Israeli government permits the full and unhindered resumption of aid into Gaza immediately. By far the most effective way to meet the desperate needs of the Gazan people at the speed and scale that is needed is via overland routes. We reiterate that Israel must immediately allow the United Nations and other agencies to deliver lifesaving aid to those in Gaza who so desperately need it.
Asked by: Henry Tufnell (Labour - Mid and South Pembrokeshire)
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 push for the removal of restrictions on humanitarian access and aid to Gaza.
Answered by Hamish Falconer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
As I made clear to the house on 4 June, Israel's unjustified block on aid into Gaza needs to end. It is inhumane. The Foreign Secretary recently announced that we have suspended negotiations with this Israeli government on a new free trade agreement and will be reviewing cooperation with them under the 2030 Bilateral Roadmap. On 19 May we issued a statement, with France and Canada, calling on the Israeli Government to stop its military operations in Gaza and immediately allow humanitarian aid to enter. We also issued a joint donor statement with 26 other signatories calling for a full resumption of aid into Gaza and for Israel to allow the UN and other aid organisations to operate independently. The Foreign Secretary continues to make representations to Israeli counterparts stressing the importance of restoring the flow of aid into Gaza.
Asked by: Henry Tufnell (Labour - Mid and South Pembrokeshire)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what progress his Department has made on implementing the Arab Plan for the reconstruction of Gaza.
Answered by Hamish Falconer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The Foreign Secretary welcomed the Arab initiative of a Recovery and Reconstruction Plan for Gaza, alongside Foreign Ministers of France, Germany and Italy on 8 March. However, reconstruction can only fully begin once there is a long-term ceasefire. To prepare for implementation, the UK has been working with partners to build international support for the Arab plan. In addition, we are exploring innovative finance mechanisms to scale up financing. With our Egyptian partners, we will be co-chairing the Humanitarian and Reconstruction working group at the Two State Solution conference in New York from 17-19 June. We will use this opportunity to further mobilise international support for the plan and cohere international donor support and planning.
Asked by: Henry Tufnell (Labour - Mid and South Pembrokeshire)
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 implementing a two-state solution in the region.
Answered by Hamish Falconer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The Government regularly raises that a long-lasting ceasefire is the only credible pathway towards a sustainable peace, a two-state solution and the reconstruction of Gaza with counterparts in the Israeli Government. The Foreign Secretary last raised this in discussions with Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa'ar on 21 May as well as concern about the expansion of settlements in the West Bank. On 19 May the UK, alongside France and Canada, issued a joint statement expressing concern over the worsening humanitarian situation in Gaza and the expansion of settlements in the West Bank. The statement called for the release of hostages, reaffirmed Israel's right to self-defence with an emphasis on proportionality, and voiced support for both a ceasefire and a two-state solution.