I WANT to talk this week about the situation in Israel and in Gaza, but before I begin, I must make one thing clear – Hamas is a terrorist organisation and there is no justification for the atrocities they committed in Israel three weeks ago.
Babies, women, young people all senselessly murdered by terrorists.
Israel is stricken by unimaginable pain and grief and the UK stands with Israel – our friend and ally.
Israel has a right to defend itself, but in doing so the Prime Minister has made clear to his Israeli counterpart the need to act in line with international humanitarian law and take every possible step to avoid harming civilians.
Whilst I believe in Israel’s right to defend itself, I know the Palestinian people are suffering terribly.
They are also victims of Hamas, who embed themselves in the civilian population.
Too many lives have already been lost, and the humanitarian crisis is growing.
As well as visiting Israel, the Prime Minister was also in the Middle East to meet with regional leaders to work together to get more humanitarian support into Gaza.
I welcome the limited opening of the Rafah crossing, but it is not enough.
We need more aid to reach Gaza, and in this endeavour the UK is providing an additional £20million of humanitarian aid to civilians in Gaza, more than doubling our previous support to the Palestinian people.
What we can’t lose sight of during this crisis is the need for a two-state solution – something I have always believed in.
We need a peaceful settlement for the Middle East – peace, stability and security for both the Palestinian and Israeli people.
I very much welcome the Prime Minister’s determination to work with our international partners to bring renewed energy and creativity to that effort.
It will rely on establishing more effective governance for Palestinian territories in Gaza and the West Bank.
As the Prime Minister has said, there can be no scenario where Hamas can be allowed to control Gaza or any part of the Palestinian territories.
Hamas is a threat not only to Israel, but to many others across the region.
Lastly, I want to address how we all discuss and debate this issue.
The situation in Israel and Palestine leads to strongly and passionately held views on both sides of the debate.
Antisemitism and Islamophobia will not be tolerated – we must stamp out this hate.
