Asked by: Steve McCabe (Labour - Birmingham, Selly Oak)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, with reference to the latest Memorandum of Understanding between the UK and the Palestinian Authority (PA), what assessment her department has made of a PA spokesperson vowing to continue the policy of paying salaries to the families of terrorists on 30 January 2022.
Answered by Leo Docherty - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for the Armed Forces)
The UK Government strongly condemns all acts of terrorism and has zero tolerance towards incitement of violence. It is critical that the Palestinian leadership continue their efforts to tackle terror and incitement, strengthen institutions and develop a sustainable economy. Our partnership with the Palestinian Authority (PA) includes a commitment from the Palestinian leadership to adhere to the principle of non-violence and to tackle language and actions that could incite violence or hatred. We continue to assess the PA's commitment to peace in line with our Partnership Principles.
Asked by: Steve McCabe (Labour - Birmingham, Selly Oak)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, when the UK last reviewed compliance with its partnership principles with the Palestinian Authority.
Answered by Leo Docherty - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for the Armed Forces)
Following a review in December 2021, FCDO's assessment is that the Palestinian Authority (PA) demonstrates a partially credible commitment to the Partnership Principles. There is relatively strong progress on improving public financial management and a continued commitment to delivering effective services and reducing poverty, despite the challenges of the occupation. However, cases of abuses of human rights and restrictions on freedom of expression continue and there is a need for greater action to strengthen human rights protection and increase domestic accountability in areas within the PA's control. The UK continues to monitor these issues closely, and raise them at the highest levels of the PA.
Asked by: Steve McCabe (Labour - Birmingham, Selly Oak)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment his Department has made of the implications for its policies of the Review of 2022 UNRWA-Produced Study Materials in the Palestinian Territories published by IMPACT-se in July 2022.
Answered by Leo Docherty - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for the Armed Forces)
The UK Government has zero tolerance towards incitement of violence. We are aware of the recent Institute for Monitoring Peace and Cultural Tolerance in School Education (IMPACT-SE) report and raised with the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) directly. We are longstanding supporters of UNRWA and their work to provide essential services to Palestinian refugees across the region, including in the Occupied Palestinian Territories (OPTs). We accompany our support for UNRWA with stringent attention to implementation of their neutrality policy, including how they apply this to the learning material UNRWA produces in the OPTs to ensure they reflect UN values.
Asked by: Steve McCabe (Labour - Birmingham, Selly Oak)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether her Department is taking steps to encourage regional partners to demand Hamas renounce the use of violence and terrorism.
Answered by Amanda Milling - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury
Our position on Hamas is clear: we condemn Hamas' continued attacks against civilians which are unacceptable and unjustifiable. We continue to call upon Hamas and other terrorist groups to permanently end their incitement and indiscriminate rocket fire against Israel. Hamas must renounce violence, recognise Israel and accept previously signed agreements.
Asked by: Steve McCabe (Labour - Birmingham, Selly Oak)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent assessment she has made of the human rights situation in territory governed by the Palestinian Authority.
Answered by Amanda Milling - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury
We continue to urge the Palestinian Authority to respect human rights, to ensure complaints of mistreatment or arbitrary detention are properly investigated and to continue to improve the performance of the security sector. I am using the opportunity of my current visit to Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territories to discuss issues such as this.
Asked by: Steve McCabe (Labour - Birmingham, Selly Oak)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent discussions she has had with her Saudi counterparts on normalisation of diplomatic relations with Israel.
Answered by Amanda Milling - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury
The UK is committed to working with Arab and Israeli partners to help deliver shared prosperity and regional security. The Foreign Secretary made clear her commitment to the Abraham Accords at both the UK-Israel Strategic Dialogue on 29 November, and subsequently at the Gulf Cooperation Council-United Kingdom Foreign Ministers' Meeting on 20 December 2021. The UK is working with regional partners to ensure the Abraham Accords are an enduring success, and continue to encourage other countries who have not yet normalised relations to do so.
Asked by: Steve McCabe (Labour - Birmingham, Selly Oak)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps she is taking with international counterparts to ensure the documentation of alleged war crimes committed by Russian combatants in Mariupol.
Answered by James Cleverly - Home Secretary
We have led efforts to refer the situation in Ukraine to the International Criminal Court (ICC), which has now secured the support of over 40 other countries. The UK will provide assistance to the ICC to support its Ukraine investigations, including an additional £1 million contribution. We are also looking to support Ukraine's domestic investigations into war crimes, including through deployments of specialist UK expertise such as the Preventing Sexual Violence in Conflict Initiative Team of Experts. We welcome the publication of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) Moscow Mechanism report which found credible evidence of war crimes. The UK also supported the creation of the UN Commission of Inquiry to investigate violations of international law. UK Government departments are working closely together to identify and collate evidence of crimes so that we, alongside international partners, can assist with these investigations.
Asked by: Steve McCabe (Labour - Birmingham, Selly Oak)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps she is taking with international counterparts to help ensure that the documentation of war crimes committed by Russia in Ukraine is not compromised by Russian combatants’ use of mobile crematoriums.
Answered by James Cleverly - Home Secretary
We have led efforts to refer the situation in Ukraine to the International Criminal Court (ICC), which has now secured the support of over 40 other countries. The UK will provide assistance to the ICC to support its Ukraine investigations, including an additional £1 million contribution. We are also looking to support Ukraine's domestic investigations into war crimes, including through deployments of specialist UK expertise such as the Preventing Sexual Violence in Conflict Initiative Team of Experts. We welcome the publication of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) Moscow Mechanism report which found credible evidence of war crimes. The UK also supported the creation of the UN Commission of Inquiry to investigate violations of international law. UK Government departments are working closely together to identify and collate evidence of crimes so that we, alongside international partners, can assist with these investigations.
Asked by: Steve McCabe (Labour - Birmingham, Selly Oak)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps she is taking with international counterparts to help ensure electricity at the Chernobyl nuclear plant is not cut off so cooling systems within the sarcophagus covering the fourth reactor are not compromised.
Answered by James Cleverly - Home Secretary
We are supporting the International Atomic Energy Agency's (IAEA) ongoing efforts to provide technical assistance to Ukrainian authorities. The UK is coordinating with a number of international counterparts and joined a G7 Non Proliferation Directors Group statement (7 April) welcoming IAEA Director General Grossi's efforts and encouraging all countries to support the IAEA in working to restore nuclear security and safety in Ukraine. We will continue to monitor the situation closely.
Asked by: Steve McCabe (Labour - Birmingham, Selly Oak)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps she is taking to supply the Ukrainian armed forces with the necessary equipment to de-mine the area surrounding the Chernobyl nuclear plant and allow full safety checks in that area to be completed.
Answered by James Cleverly - Home Secretary
We are working with the Government of Ukraine to assess needs, capacities and risk appetites of partners, in order to ascertain how best to support de-mining efforts in newly liberated areas (including Chernobyl).
Since 2014 we have supported a range of explosive threat management activities in Ukraine through partners including the HALO Trust, UNDP and OSCE, through the Conflict, Stability and Security Fund (CSSF). This support has resulted in 2,552,332 m2 of land being cleared and 130,346 people receiving Explosive Ordnance Risk Education, which has led to a significant reduction in mine-related casualties. FCDO and MOD are actively lobbying Ukraine to expand permissions to broaden the scope of demining activities by partners, thereby creating further capacity to tackle this urgent issue.