Asked by: Richard Burgon (Independent - Leeds East)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what the average time period in weeks is for his Department to undertake an assessment of Israel's compliance with international humanitarian law.
Answered by Hamish Falconer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The FCDO keeps Israel's commitment, capability to comply and record of compliance with International Humanitarian Law in relation to the Gaza conflict under regular review. The assessments, which are supported by a detailed evidence-base and informed by legal advice, take an average of 8 weeks to complete.
Asked by: Richard Burgon (Independent - Leeds East)
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 adequacy of his Department's reporting timelines on Israel's compliance with international humanitarian law in the Middle East.
Answered by Hamish Falconer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
On day one in office, the Foreign Secretary commissioned a thorough review into Israel's compliance with International Humanitarian Law (IHL). On the first day back after the summer recess the Foreign Secretary informed parliament that the Government had taken the decision to suspend arms export licences to Israel for use in military operations in Gaza, after the review concluded that there is a clear risk that relevant exports to Israel might be used to commit or facilitate a serious violation of IHL. We continue to keep Israel's compliance with International Humanitarian Law in Gaza under review through a regular assessments process.
Asked by: Richard Burgon (Independent - Leeds East)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether his Department has commissioned external legal advice on Israel's compliance with international humanitarian law.
Answered by Hamish Falconer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
We continue to keep Israel's compliance with International Humanitarian Law (IHL) in Gaza under review through a regular assessments process, informed by legal advice. Our judgment on Israel's IHL compliance remains as set out in the Foreign Secretary's statement to Parliament on 2 September.
Asked by: Richard Burgon (Independent - Leeds East)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, when his Department next plans to publish an assessment of Israel's compliance with international humanitarian law.
Answered by Hamish Falconer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
We continue to keep Israel's compliance with International Humanitarian Law (IHL) in Gaza under review through regular assessments. On 2 September, the Foreign Secretary announced to Parliament the suspension of certain UK export licences to Israel, for items he concluded might be used to commit or facilitate serious violations of IHL in Gaza. This was further to the IHL assessment raising concerns about possible breaches of IHL in the areas of humanitarian access and in the treatment of detainees. The relevant export licences remain suspended and there are no plans to publish further summaries while our assessment remains unchanged.
Asked by: Richard Burgon (Independent - Leeds East)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 27 November 2024 to Question 14977 on Gaza: Israel, whether he has had recent discussions with his international counterparts on the duty under Article 1 to prevent genocide.
Answered by Hamish Falconer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
It is the UK's long-standing policy that any determination as to whether genocide has occurred is a matter for a competent national or international court, and not for governments or non-judicial bodies. This approach ensures that any determination is above politics, lobbying, and individual or national interest. The UK Government is clear in our commitment to international law. This includes our obligations under the Genocide Convention and the Arms Trade Treaty. This Government is profoundly concerned about the deteriorating humanitarian situation in Gaza. The Foreign Secretary has raised our grave concerns with Israeli Minister Dermer and Minister Katz in his recent bilateral meetings. At a multilateral level, the UK is using its presidency of the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) to call for an immediate ceasefire, the immediate release of all hostages held since 7 October 2023 and urgent action to address the humanitarian crisis. On 2 September 2024, the Foreign Secretary announced the decision to suspend export licences for items that could be used in military operations in Gaza, exempting the F-35 components.
Asked by: Richard Burgon (Independent - Leeds East)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what representations his Department has made to Israel about compliance with the provisional measures issued by the International Court of Justice in the case of the Application of the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide in the Gaza Strip .
Answered by Hamish Falconer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
It is the UK Government's long-standing policy that any determination of genocide is a matter for a competent national or international court, and not for governments or non-judicial bodies. This approach ensures that any determination is above politics, lobbying and individual or national interest. The recent Provisional Measures Order was an interim order, intended to preserve the rights of the parties pending consideration of the legal arguments and evidence. The UK respects the independence of the International Court of Justice and awaits its decision.
Asked by: Richard Burgon (Independent - Leeds East)
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 international counterparts on (a) the conduct of the Israeli military in Gaza and (b) Israel's compliance with Article 1 of the Genocide Convention.
Answered by Hamish Falconer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
It is the UK's long-standing policy that any determination of genocide should be based upon the judgement of a competent national or international court, and this is not for governments or non-judicial bodies to determine. This approach ensures that any determination is above politics, lobbying, and individual or national interest. The government fully respects the independence of the International Court of Justice (ICJ). The ICJ is currently considering the application and interpretation of the Genocide Convention in the South Africa v Israel case, and we await its decision.
On 5 November, I raised our grave concerns that Kamal Adwan continues to come under fire with the Israeli Ambassador. We remain deeply concerned by reports that many medical facilities are no longer in use or are inaccessible to humanitarian actors. Israel must comply with international law. As the Foreign Secretary said in his statement on 16 October, we, alongside our partners, continue to press Israel to take all possible steps to avoid civilian casualties, allow aid into Gaza and enable the UN and its humanitarian partners to operate effectively. With our French and Algerian counterparts, we called an urgent meeting of the UN Security Council on this issue on 16 October.
Asked by: Richard Burgon (Independent - Leeds East)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, on what date his Department received notice of the report of the United Nations General Assembly Special Committee to Investigate Israeli Practices Affecting the Human Rights of the Palestinian People and Other Arabs of the Occupied Territories (A/79/363); and whether he had made an assessment of the potential implications for his policies of this report prior to his statement to the House on the Middle East of 28 October 2024.
Answered by Hamish Falconer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The Government has been clear since day one that International Humanitarian Law (IHL) must be upheld, and civilians protected. The UK supports Israel's right to self-defence, but it must do so in accordance with IHL. On his first day in office, the Foreign Secretary instigated a review of Israel's compliance with international law, and updated the House on 2 September 2024 on its conclusions and the actions the UK was taking in response. The death and destruction in Gaza is intolerable. Too many civilians have been killed and we need to prevent further bloodshed. What is urgently needed is an immediate ceasefire, the release of all hostages, the upholding of international law, protection of civilians including a rapid increase of aid into Gaza and a pathway to a two-state solution. The UK received the Report of the Special Committee upon its publication, alongside other UN Member States.
Asked by: Richard Burgon (Independent - Leeds East)
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 implications for his policies of the Report of the Special Committee to Investigate Israeli Practices Affecting the Human Rights of the Palestinian People and Other Arabs of the Occupied Territories (A/79/363, 20 September 2024).
Answered by Hamish Falconer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The Government has been clear since day one that International Humanitarian Law (IHL) must be upheld, and civilians protected. The UK supports Israel's right to self-defence, but it must do so in accordance with IHL. On his first day in office, the Foreign Secretary instigated a review of Israel's compliance with international law, and updated the House on 2 September 2024 on its conclusions and the actions the UK was taking in response. The death and destruction in Gaza is intolerable. Too many civilians have been killed and we need to prevent further bloodshed. What is urgently needed is an immediate ceasefire, the release of all hostages, the upholding of international law, protection of civilians including a rapid increase of aid into Gaza and a pathway to a two-state solution. The UK received the Report of the Special Committee upon its publication, alongside other UN Member States.
Asked by: Richard Burgon (Independent - Leeds East)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, with reference to his oral statement of 2 September 2024 on Middle East Update, Official Report, column 37, if he will publish a list of items covered by the Strategic Export Licensing Criteria that continue to be exported to Israel.
Answered by Hamish Falconer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
We publish annual and quarterly reports on export licences issued, refused or revoked, by destination, including the overall value, type (e.g. Military, Other) and a summary of the products covered by these licences. They are available to view on GOV.UK at https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/strategic-export-controls-licensing-data.
Summary data on our current export licences to Israel was also published on 11 June 2024: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/export-control-licensing-management-information-for-israel.
The next publication of full statistics covering the period 1 January 2024 to 30 June 2024 will be on 12 December.