Asked by: Brian Leishman (Labour - Alloa and Grangemouth)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, which officials attended meetings with Israeli Major General Oded Basyuk on 22 January 2025; and for what reason.
Answered by Luke Pollard - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
As part of the concerted UK effort to reduce the risk of escalation in the Middle East and to achieve a peaceful resolution in Gaza and Lebanon, the Ministry of Defence (MOD) hosted counterparts from Israel on 22 January, led by Major General Basyuk. UK attendees included officials from the MOD, FCDO and Cabinet Office, and discussions included UK calls to implement all phases of the Gaza ceasefire deal in full and establish a pathway to lasting peace and security for the region.
Asked by: Wendy Morton (Conservative - Aldridge-Brownhills)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps he is taking with international partners to facilitate mediation between parties to reduce conflict in the Middle East.
Answered by Hamish Falconer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK works closely with regional and international partners to reduce conflict in the Middle East. The UK is at the forefront of the response to fast moving events in Syria, engaging regularly with international partners to support a Syrian-led and Syrian-owned political transition process leading to an inclusive, non-sectarian and representative government and reduced conflict. The UK supports political efforts to achieve a lasting solution to the Israeli/Palestinian conflict. The Foreign Secretary met Israeli Foreign Minister Sa'ar in Israel on 13 January, and stressed to him the urgent need for an immediate ceasefire with all restrictions on aid to Gaza lifted. In Lebanon, UK support to the Lebanese Armed Forces underpins the ceasefire conditions agreed in November 2024 and seeks to implement UNSCR 1701. In Yemen, the UK supports the UN Special Envoy's office work on dialogue and mediation. With Qatar, the UK will host a forum to exchange conflict resolution and mediation expertise to further our joint commitment to peace in the Middle East.
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 conduct a further review with Cabinet colleagues into the compatibility of the Government's export licences to Israel with its obligations under international humanitarian law in the context of recent civilian deaths in (a) Lebanon, (b) the West Bank and (c) Gaza; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Hamish Falconer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The International Humanitarian Law (IHL) Cell undertakes regular assessments of Israel's commitment and capability to comply with International Humanitarian Law in order to meet our legal obligations under the Strategic Export Licensing Criteria (SELC). On 2 September, following a conclusion that there is a clear risk that items might be used to commit or facilitate serious violations of IHL, we suspended relevant export licences to Israel for use in military operations in Gaza. This is subject to the specific measures set out to Parliament excluding exports to the global F-35 programme from the scope of the suspension. We continue to keep all export licences under careful review and licences may be suspended, amended or revoked.
Asked by: Tom Morrison (Liberal Democrat - Cheadle)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps he is taking in response to the humanitarian crisis in the Middle East.
Answered by Hamish Falconer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK remains committed to alleviating humanitarian suffering in the Middle East. A resolution to the conflict in Gaza has been a priority since day one of this government, and we continue to push for an immediate ceasefire, the release of all hostages, protection of civilians, and a rapid increase of aid into Gaza. The UK has now announced £112 million for the Occupied Palestinian Territories this financial year, including £41 million for UNRWA, providing vital services to civilians in Gaza and the West Bank, and to Palestinians in Syria, Jordan and Lebanon. £4.5 million of joint UK-Kuwait funding announced in September will help UNICEF deliver lifesaving aid to almost 2.5 million people in Gaza and Yemen. And following the unprecedented events in Syria, on 9 December the Prime Minister announced that the UK is providing an additional £11 million of humanitarian aid for the most vulnerable in the country.
Asked by: Simon Opher (Labour - Stroud)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, how much funding his Department has allocated to organisations supporting the delivery of aid in Gaza since 5 July 2024.
Answered by Hamish Falconer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK has now announced £112 million for the Occupied Palestinian Territories so far this financial year, providing vital services to civilians in Gaza and the West Bank delivered through partner agencies. As part of this total, since July we have announced that the UK would reinstate £21m funding to UNRWA including £1m to implement the recommendations of the Colonna report, £5.5m for UK-MED to operate field hospitals in Gaza, £6 million for UNICEF to support vulnerable families in Gaza, in addition to UK-Kuwait joint funding totalling £4.5 million for UNICEF to continue their lifesaving aid in Gaza and Yemen, £1m to support the Egyptian Ministry of Health to care for medically evacuated Palestinians, £6m to both OCHA and WFP and £7 million of new UK funding to UNRWA's Flash Humanitarian Appeal for Gaza. On 11 December we announced an additional £13 million for UNRWA to provide essential services to Palestinian refugees in the OPTs, Jordan, Lebanon and Syria.
Asked by: Mary Glindon (Labour - Newcastle upon Tyne East and Wallsend)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to help support humanitarian organisations in (a) Gaza and (b) Lebanon to prepare for winter.
Answered by Hamish Falconer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK is committed to alleviating humanitarian suffering in both Lebanon and Gaza, particularly with the arrival of winter. The Foreign Secretary, together with his French and German counterparts, has written to Israeli Foreign Minister Sa'ar to urge Israel to ensure sufficient aid, including vital medical treatment, reaches civilians in Gaza. Minister Dodds also raised aid restrictions in her meetings with Israeli interlocutors during her recent visit to the region, including with Deputy Foreign Minister Haskel. I raised this issue with Minister Haskel on 05 December and met with Mr Philippe Lazzarini, the UN's Commissioner-General of UNWRA in Doha on 08 December. The UK has announced £112 million for the Occupied Palestinian Territories so far this financial year, providing vital services to civilians in Gaza and the West Bank delivered through partner agencies. Additionally, we have provided £46 million in support to Lebanon, of which £15 million is additional funding to respond to the widespread lack of shelter, and reduced access to clean water, hygiene and healthcare.
Asked by: Wendy Morton (Conservative - Aldridge-Brownhills)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps he is taking to ensure the safety of UK humanitarian workers in Lebanon.
Answered by Hamish Falconer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
Any British national in Lebanon, regardless of the purpose of their stay, is entitled to consular support from the British Embassy. We provide detailed and up-to-date travel advice on gov.uk, which gives useful information for British Nationals to inform their personal security arrangements.
The UK funds a humanitarian programme in Lebanon and while we do not assume duty of care for our implementing partners, we perform due diligence to understand their security arrangements. There is explicit criteria in grant or commercial contracts which outline HMG's expectations of suppliers in terms of duty of care and security provision for their staff, for example regarding safety briefings and risk mitigation plans.
We urge all parties involved in the conflict in Lebanon to allow humanitarian workers to carry out their work safely, and we continue to do so even with the ceasefire in place. More broadly, the FCDO supports the safety of humanitarian workers by investing in protective measures that our partners need to work safely, championing international humanitarian law, and using UK seats at key multilateral fora to raise awareness and promote accountability. The UK was proud to co-sponsor and vote in favour of UN Security Council resolution 2730, which calls on states to protect humanitarian personnel, and we support its full implementation in Lebanon and around the world.
Asked by: Wendy Morton (Conservative - Aldridge-Brownhills)
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 counterparts in (a) Lebanon and (b) the Middle East on ensuring that aid can be brought into Lebanon.
Answered by Hamish Falconer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK continues to engage with international partners on alleviating the suffering of those most in need in Lebanon, including refugees and vulnerable Lebanese communities. I attended the International Conference in Support of Lebanon's People and Sovereignty in Paris on 24 October, where approximately €800 million in humanitarian support was committed. I met Lebanon's Foreign Minister Abdallah Bou Habib and Environment Minister Nasser Yasin to discuss the situation, as well as other regional and international counterparts. The UK is one of the largest donors to the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs' Lebanon Humanitarian Fund and the Central Emergency Response Fund. We have announced £10 million of aid to Lebanon, which includes essential medicine, hygiene kits, fuel for water stations, education and child protection services for the most vulnerable children, and cash assistance. This is in addition to the £5 million already provided to support emergency response programming. UK bilateral humanitarian support for this financial year so far is £31 million.
Asked by: Kate Osamor (Labour (Co-op) - Edmonton and Winchmore Hill)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps he is taking to ensure that humanitarian funding is allocated based on assessed needs.
Answered by Anneliese Dodds
The FCDO is committed to being a principled humanitarian donor, prioritising humanitarian assistance to people in greatest need by using data and evidence to guide allocation decisions.
We have announced a doubling of support for people hit by the humanitarian emergency in Sudan, as well as providing support for people in Gaza, in Lebanon and in other crisis situations.
Asked by: Baroness Bennett of Manor Castle (Green Party - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether they invited Chief of the General Staff of the Israel Defence Forces Herzi Halevi to visit the UK this month, and, if so, for what reason; and which senior UK officials he met.
Answered by Lord Coaker - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
As part of the concerted UK effort, along with allies and partners, to reach a peaceful resolution to the ongoing conflicts in Lebanon and Gaza, the Chief of the Defence Staff hosted his counterparts from Israel and other international partners on Monday 25 November.
The Deputy Chief of Defence Staff (Military Strategy and Operations) and the FCDO Director for the Middle East and North Africa both attended the meeting.
The Attorney General, the Rt Hon Lord Hermer KC, also held his own respective meeting with Lieutenant General Halevi.
Discussions recognised Israel’s right to security, as well as including the UK calls for an immediate ceasefire in both Lebanon and Gaza, the need for greater humanitarian access into Gaza, the release of all hostages, and the requirement for all parties to comply with international humanitarian law.
We continue to work with international partners to encourage de-escalation and promote long-term peace and security in the Middle East.