Israel and Gaza

Nigel Evans Excerpts

Monday 20th May 2024 Commons Chamber

[Andrew Percy (Brigg and Goole) (Con)]

Facts are important, and the facts have not changed since 7 October. It is Hamas who embed themselves in civilian areas, use civilian institutions and put their own people at risk in this conflict. It is Hamas who have committed rapes as a weapon of war. It is Hamas who are still holding innocent civilians hostage. And it is Hamas who went into Israeli communities on 7 October and butchered 1,200 people, including slicing the breasts off women and the limbs off children. On the other side, we have the democratic, liberal state of Israel with an independent judicial process and a Supreme Court that is respected internationally and that the ICC is supposed to respect. Yet there are people in here who, from day one, have done very little to call out some of the other behaviour and everything to hold Israel to a standard they do not hold others to. That is why the Czech Prime Minister and the—[Interruption.]

[Mr Deputy Speaker (Mr Nigel Evans)]

Order. Please can everybody focus on a question? I am not quite sure that I heard a question there—[Interruption.] I think the Minister has heard enough to respond.

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[Mr Deputy Speaker (Mr Nigel Evans)]

May I ask Members again to focus on the question please? Please also remember that you have to have been here for the entirety of the statement to ask a question—I am taking your word on that.

[Lloyd Russell-Moyle (Brighton, Kemptown) (Lab/Co-op)]

Other countries have now suspended arms sales. Other countries have restored the funding going forward to UNRWA. Why are we now leading from behind rather than leading from the front on this? Should we not now do the right thing, suspend arms sales and refund UNRWA?

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[Several hon. Members rose—]

[Mr Deputy Speaker (Mr Nigel Evans)]

Order. I apologise to those Members who did not get in today. We will take a note of your names and get you in at another time. We must now move on.

[George Galloway (Rochdale) (WPB)]

On a point of order, Mr Speaker.