Conflict in the Middle East

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon Excerpts

Monday 16th June 2025 Lords Chamber

[Lord Collins of Highbury (Lab)]

I am more than happy to meet the noble Lord, as he knows; we have had many exchanges on this subject, so I do not have a problem with doing that. Most noble Lords know my position in relation to the extremism that he talked about. I have been a friend of Israel for many years and I have spoken out about its right to defend itself. However, I have witnessed the consequences of some of the settler violence, incited by extremist rhetoric. It has driven Palestinians from their homes, and encourages violence and human rights abuses. This fundamentally undermines the two-state solution. Settler violence has led to the deaths of Palestinian civilians and the displacement of whole communities. Extremist rhetoric advocating violence is appalling and dangerous, and these actions are not acceptable, which is why the Government have taken action.

The noble Lord knows how this Government have condemned Hamas and other extremists who have threatened the statehood of Israel. We have made it absolutely clear that Hamas has no place in the future of a peaceful Palestine and a peaceful Israel.

[Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon (Con)]

My Lords, I draw attention to my entry in the register. The Minister talked about the important levers of diplomacy. On the issue of snapback, the noble Lord knows that the clock runs out by October. Snapback should have been exercised because we have already seen Iran betraying the basis of the resolution.

On our Gulf partners, can the Minister confirm that states such as Bahrain, which is a key partner, have also been spoken to? What about our influence over Oman, which of course was going to host the meeting between the Iranians and the Americans? The levers of diplomacy work when they are exercised. Can the Minister assure the House that it is not only the E3 but our Arab partners who will be fully immersed in finding a diplomatic pathway?

[Lord Collins of Highbury (Lab)]

I hope I made it clear before. Over the weekend, the Foreign Secretary and Minister Falconer reached out to all our allies in the region. The noble Lord is right and I agree completely that we need to ensure constant communication and dialogue with all our allies in the region. We have been focused on that. The simple, straightforward answer is that he is right.