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Written Question
Israel: Hamas
Friday 12th January 2024

Asked by: Jonathan Gullis (Conservative - Stoke-on-Trent 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 Israeli counterpart on reports that the Israeli Defense Forces (a) arrested Hamas terrorists responsible for the killings on 7 October 2023, (b) destroyed Hamas infrastructure and (c) recovered weapons in Jabalya.

Answered by Andrew Mitchell - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office) (Minister for Development)

Both the Foreign Secretary and the Prime Minister have been in close contact with their Israeli counterparts since the outbreak of the conflict and routinely discuss the progress of Israel's actions in Gaza in their engagements. They have made clear their strong support to Israel to restore its security and remove the threat of Hamas, while reiterating that its military operations must be conducted in accordance with International Humanitarian Law.


Written Question
Israel: Hamas
Thursday 11th January 2024

Asked by: Jonathan Gullis (Conservative - Stoke-on-Trent North)

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, what assessment he has made of the implications for his Department's policies of comments by Iranian Minister of Cultural Heritage General Ezzatolloh Zarghami that he (a) supplied rockets for use against Israel and (b) provided training to Hamas in their underground tunnels.

Answered by Andrew Mitchell - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office) (Minister for Development)

Iran poses an unacceptable threat to Israel. We have long condemned Iran's destabilising activity throughout the region, including its political, financial, and military support to several militant and proscribed groups, including Hamas, Hizballah and the Palestinian Islamic Jihad. Such activity compromises the region's security, its ability to prosper and further escalates tensions. The Foreign Secretary raised Iran's ongoing support to its destabilising proxies and partners with the Iranian Foreign Minister on 31 December. The UK remains clear that Iran must use its influence with groups in the region to prevent escalation, and that Iran bears responsibility for the actions of groups they have supported over many years.

We continue to work closely with our partners to hold Iran to account, and we currently have over 400 sanctions in place against the Iranian regime. The UK's new sanctions regime came into force on 14 December and is designed to target Iran and its proxies' hostile activity against the interests of the UK and our partners.

Israel has endured the worst terrorist attack in its history at the hands of Hamas. The UK Government will continue to stand with Israel as it faces pressing challenges to its security. We have deployed UK military assets to the region to carry out surveillance and act as a deterrent. On 14 November, the Foreign Secretary also announced targeted sanctions, coordinated with the US, against Hamas leadership (four Hamas leaders and two financiers) to disrupt Hamas operations in Gaza and wherever their leaders base themselves.


Written Question
Hamas: Weapons
Thursday 26th October 2023

Asked by: Jonathan Gullis (Conservative - Stoke-on-Trent North)

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, with reference to his oral contribution on 18 October 2023 on Gaza: Al-Ahli Arab Hospital Explosion, column 341, whether he has had recent discussions with his EU counterparts on video footage of Hamas digging up EU-funded water pipes to help produce rockets.

Answered by David Rutley - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)

It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.


Written Question
Iran: Nuclear Power
Monday 26th April 2021

Asked by: Jonathan Gullis (Conservative - Stoke-on-Trent North)

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 compatibility of Iran's ballistic missile programme with the 2015 Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action.

Answered by James Cleverly - Home Secretary

Iran's ballistic missile programme is destabilising for the region and poses a threat to European security. UN Security Council Resolution 2231, which was unanimously adopted in the Security Council and underpins the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPoA), calls on Iran not to undertake activities related to ballistic missiles designed to be capable of delivering a nuclear weapon. Alongside France and Germany (as E3), we have written repeatedly to the UN Secretary-General, most recently on 18 February, to bring attention to Iranian missile activity inconsistent with UNSCR 2231. We urge Iran to fully abide by UNSCR 2231 and all other relevant resolutions.


Written Question
Palestinians: Radicalism
Tuesday 22nd December 2020

Asked by: Jonathan Gullis (Conservative - Stoke-on-Trent North)

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what discussions he has had with his Norwegian counterpart on that Government's decision to withhold funding from the Palestinian Authority in response that Authority using material inciting hatred and violence against Israel in its curriculum.

Answered by James Cleverly - Home Secretary

I have not discussed the issue with my Norwegian counterpart. We understand that the approval of Norway's Fiscal Budget is subject to negotiations in Parliament and that such negotiations may result in shifts between budget lines and geographic priorities in the development aid budget. We understand that the Norwegian Parliament has proposed to reduce Norway's development assistance to the Occupied Palestinian Territories by 30 million Norwegian Krone (approximately £2.5 million) in 2021, along with changes in priorities on other budget lines and allocations.


Written Question
Palestinians: Curriculum
Tuesday 22nd December 2020

Asked by: Jonathan Gullis (Conservative - Stoke-on-Trent North)

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent representations he has made to his EU counterpart on the EU review into the Palestinian Authority curriculum; and what assessment he has made of the implications for his policies of the delays in the publication of that review.

Answered by James Cleverly - Home Secretary

The independent review of the content in Palestinian textbooks, led by our European partners, is currently underway. We have regular discussions with European partners on the review, including on plans for publication. The UK has repeatedly lobbied the EU to push for publication, but this is ultimately a decision for the EU.

To ensure that the final report is representative, the study has been extended to include a sample of textbooks introduced for school year 2020-21. Consequently, the study will now be completed in early 2021.


Written Question
Palestinians: Textbooks
Thursday 17th September 2020

Asked by: Jonathan Gullis (Conservative - Stoke-on-Trent North)

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what discussions he has had with his EU counterparts in response to reports that the EU's review into the Palestinian curriculum presents Israeli textbooks as those published by the Palestinian Authority.

Answered by James Cleverly - Home Secretary

The UK Government has a zero tolerance approach towards incitement to violence and lobbied our European partners to conduct a thorough independent review of textbooks used in the Occupied Palestinian Territories, which is now underway. This review is ongoing, and the final report is not due until the end of 2020. We will study its findings carefully.

The UK does not comment on leaked reports. Our European partners have been clear that the study does not look at Israeli textbooks. We understand that the methodology of the study will include a separate section on a very limited sample of textbooks used in East Jerusalem and modified by Israel for the purpose of comparison.


Written Question
Iran: Arms Trade
Thursday 18th June 2020

Asked by: Jonathan Gullis (Conservative - Stoke-on-Trent North)

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what assessment he has made of the implications for regional security of the expiration of the UN conventional arms embargo on Iran in October 2020.

Answered by James Cleverly - Home Secretary

The UK remains committed to the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPoA), a reciprocal deal that lifts sanctions in exchange for tough nuclear limits. Iran has broken the nuclear limits in the JCPoA and we are working to bring Iran back into compliance through the deal's Dispute Resolution Mechanism.

UNSCR 2231, which underpins the JCPoA, includes a number of clauses designed to allow sanctions to expire on fixed dates: the UN conventional arms embargo is due to expire in October 2020. The EU arms embargo and UN ballistic missile restrictions will remain in place until 2023. We are consulting partners on the broader implications of the UN arms embargo expiry for Iran as well as the region, and encourage all states to implement national export control best practice.

We have repeatedly set out concerns about Iranian destabilising behaviour, including proliferation to non-state actors. UNSCRs 1540, 2216 and 1701, which prohibit the proliferation of weapons to the Houthis and Lebanese Hizballah, will remain in place after the arms embargo expires.


Written Question
Israel: Palestinians
Thursday 18th June 2020

Asked by: Jonathan Gullis (Conservative - Stoke-on-Trent North)

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent discussions he has had with his overseas counterparts on the Middle East peace process.

Answered by James Cleverly - Home Secretary

We continue to work closely with international partners advocating a two-state solution and encouraging a return to meaningful negotiations between both parties. The Foreign Secretary discussed the Middle East Peace Process and our opposition to the unilateral annexation of territory during calls with Alternate Israeli Prime Minister Gantz on 20 May, Egyptian Foreign Minister Shoukry on 21 May, Jordanian Foreign Minister Safadi on 28 May and Israeli Foreign Minister Ashkenazi on 2 June.


Written Question
Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps
Wednesday 6th May 2020

Asked by: Jonathan Gullis (Conservative - Stoke-on-Trent North)

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent assessment he has made of the role of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps in Iran’s regional activity.

Answered by James Cleverly - Home Secretary

We remain concerned about the destabilising activities of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, including its financial and military support to militant and proscribed groups around the region in contravention of UN Security Council resolutions. This support directly undermines prospects for regional security and lasting peace in the region. We call on Iran urgently to cease all forms of destabilising activity and instead to play a constructive role in the region.