Asked by: Marsha De Cordova (Labour - Battersea)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether his Department has made any (a) formal or (b) informal assessment of the potential risk of genocide in Gaza.
Answered by Hamish Falconer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK's long-standing policy is that any formal determination as to whether genocide has occurred is a matter for a competent national or international court, rather than for governments or non-judicial bodies. It should be decided after consideration of all the evidence available in the context of a credible judicial process.
Asked by: Marsha De Cordova (Labour - Battersea)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, if he will have discussions with the Israeli government on the bombing of the European Hospital in Khan Younis on 13 May 2025.
Answered by Hamish Falconer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The recent attacks on the European Hospital in Khan Younis are deeply concerning. As the Foreign Secretary outlined in his statement on the 20th of May, Israel has repeatedly struck hospitals, and these have rendered the European hospital non-functional. In March, the UK, France and Germany called on Israel to do more to prevent harm to medical personnel and premises in the course of their military operations.
Amid Israel's expanded military operations, the healthcare system in Gaza is now on the brink of collapse. We remain gravely concerned by the lack of adequate medical care in Gaza as nearly all hospitals are damaged or partly destroyed according to the World Health Organization.
My officials and I are in regular dialogue with our Israeli counterparts on the protection of healthcare facilities in Gaza. We will continue to make both public and private representations to the Government of Israel to protect healthcare staff and facilities.
Asked by: Marsha De Cordova (Labour - Battersea)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 10 March to Question 34309, what steps his Department has taken to promote accountability for attacks on schools in the Occupied Palestinian Territory by (a) Israeli forces and (b) Israeli settlers.
Answered by Hamish Falconer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
Education is a human right. It expands choices and enables children to live lives that they value. The vital work of the United Nations Relief and Work Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) in ensuring that Palestinians have access to education and healthcare must be protected in Gaza as well as the West Bank and East Jerusalem. Children's access to education must continue uninterrupted. The Foreign Secretary and I have also made clear our concerns about the current Israeli military operations in the West Bank and stressed the need for civilians and civilian infrastructure to be protected. We recognise Israel's security concerns, but it must show restraint and ensure its operations are commensurate to the threat posed. We are also clear that the Israeli government must crack down on settler violence, stop settlement expansion and not annex the West Bank.
On 15 October 2024, the Foreign Secretary announced sanctions targeting three illegal settler outposts and four organisations that have supported and sponsored violence against communities in the West Bank. These measures will help bring accountability to those who have supported and perpetrated such heinous abuses of human rights. We continue to keep these issues under review. It would not be appropriate to speculate about any potential future sanctions designations as to do so could reduce their impact.
Asked by: Marsha De Cordova (Labour - Battersea)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 10 March to Question 34309, when he last raised the destruction of (a) schools and (b) higher education facilities in Gaza with his Israeli counterparts.
Answered by Hamish Falconer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The Foreign Secretary continues to raise concern at continued Israeli operations in Gaza, including the need for protection of schools and higher education facilities, with his Israeli counterparts. Children's access to education must continue uninterrupted. The UK Government have announced £41 million for United Nations Relief and Work Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) this financial year, which is supporting the Occupied Palestinian Territories, and Palestinian refugees in the region. Furthermore, UK support has given 14,000 children access to education materials and welfare support.
In East Jerusalem the Israeli order to close schools and the immediate evacuation of the Kalandia Training Centre is deeply worrying. The vital work of UNRWA in ensuring that Palestinians have access to education and healthcare must be protected in Gaza as well as the West Bank and East Jerusalem.
Asked by: Marsha De Cordova (Labour - Battersea)
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 impact of reductions to overseas aid on the levels of resilience to (a) conflict and (b) climate shocks among civilian populations in recipient countries.
Answered by Stephen Doughty - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The Prime Minister has set out a new strategic vision for government spending on defence and security, and Official Development Assistance (ODA). Detailed decisions on how the ODA budget will be used will be worked through as part of the ongoing Spending Review on the basis of various factors including impact assessments.
Asked by: Marsha De Cordova (Labour - Battersea)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether he has made an assessment of the potential impact of proposed reductions in official development assistance on future trends in the level of preventable sight loss in recipient countries.
Answered by Stephen Doughty - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The Prime Minister has set out a new strategic vision for government spending on defence and security, and Official Development Assistance. Detailed decisions on how the ODA budget will be used will be worked through as part of the ongoing Spending Review on the basis of various factors including impact assessments.
Asked by: Marsha De Cordova (Labour - Battersea)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment he makes of the potential impact of proposed reductions in official development assistance on future trends in the levels of (a) violence against women and girls and (b) preventable deaths among infants in recipient countries.
Answered by Stephen Doughty - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The Prime Minister has set out a new strategic vision for government spending on defence and security, and Official Development Assistance (ODA). Detailed decisions on how the ODA budget will be used will be worked through as part of the ongoing Spending Review.
The UK has placed empowering women and girls at the centre of our international work. We remain committed to tackling violence against women and girls around the world, and to supporting global efforts to end preventable maternal, child and newborn deaths in line with Sustainable Development Goal targets.
Asked by: Marsha De Cordova (Labour - Battersea)
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 counterparts on Israeli settler attacks on (a) schools, (b) higher education facilities and (c) cultural institutions in the West Bank.
Answered by Hamish Falconer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
We remain very concerned at the disproportionate impact of violence on children, including in the West Bank: education is a priority sector. Any destruction of cultural facilities is also highly concerning. We engage regularly with non-governmental organizations and civil society, who are best placed to communicate needs and rebuild their communities. The Foreign Secretary and I have emphasised the importance of stability throughout all the Occupied Territories to our Israeli counterparts. The Foreign Secretary raised Israel's ongoing operation in Jenin and highlighted the risk that this undermines the Palestinian Authority when he spoke to Foreign Minister Sa'ar on 22 January. The Foreign Secretary also noted the need for violent settlers to be held accountable.
Asked by: Marsha De Cordova (Labour - Battersea)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps he plans to take to mitigate the impact of the destruction of educational and cultural facilities in Gaza.
Answered by Hamish Falconer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
We are deeply alarmed by the disproportionate impact of the conflict on children in Gaza. Most students have not had access to education since the 7th of October 2023 and at least 88 per cent of school buildings need full or major reconstruction. Education is a priority sector, and we are engaging with partners to ensure children's needs are integrated into Gaza's recovery. Through UK support, over 14,000 children in Gaza now have access to education materials. The destruction of cultural facilities is also highly concerning. We engage regularly with NGOs and civil society, who are best placed to communicate needs and rebuild their communities.
Asked by: Marsha De Cordova (Labour - Battersea)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what further steps he plans to take to encourage the Egyptian authorities to release Alaa Abd El-Fattah.
Answered by Hamish Falconer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK Government remains committed to securing the release of Alaa Abd El-Fattah. We continue to raise Mr El-Fattah's case at the highest levels with the Egyptian Government. The Prime Minister wrote to President Sisi on the case on 26 December. The Foreign Secretary raised Mr El-Fattah's case with Egyptian Foreign Minister Abdelatty most recently on 20 December 2024. The National Security Advisor, Jonathan Powell raised this with the Foreign Minister on 2 January 2025. I raised Mr El-Fattah's case with Foreign Minister Abdelatty on 15 October 2024.