Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, with reference to the press release entitled Joint statement from the leaders of the United Kingdom, France and Canada on the situation in Gaza and the West Bank, published on 19 May 2025, and the Answer of 10 December 2024 to Question 16737 on Gaza: Israel, whether his Department's assessment of Israel's compliance with International Humanitarian Law included whether genocide had been committed.

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.

Our International Humanitarian Law assessments address Israel's record of compliance across four domains: the conduct of hostilities; forced displacement; provision and facilitation of humanitarian relief; and the treatment of detainees.