With permission, Mr Speaker, I will make a statement on Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territories.
The two-state solution is in peril.
Catastrophic conflict in Gaza…
and a shocking deterioration in the West Bank.
This is an affront to the rights of Palestinians…
but is also against the interests of Israelis…
against their long-term security and their democracy.
Today, I will update the House on new actions we are taking…
to uphold human rights…
and defend the vision and viability of two sides living side-by-side in peace.
Mr Speaker, 2024 saw the worst settler violence against Palestinians in the West Bank in the last two decades.
2025 is on track to be just as violent.
Between 1996 and 2023, an average of seven illegal settler outposts were established annually.
In 2024, settlers erected 59.
These outposts are illegal under both Israeli and international law.
Two weeks ago, the Israeli government itself announced 22 new settlements in the West Bank.
Every outpost…
every building the settlers erect…
is a flagrant breach of international law…
and disregards the views of Israel’s partners.
There are now in excess of five hundred thousand settlers living in the West Bank…
and over 100,000 in East Jerusalem…
the territory that must form the heart of a sovereign, viable and free Palestine.
Mr Speaker, the sharp growth in settlements alone is dangerous enough.
But it has been accompanied by a steep rise in settler violence and extremist rhetoric.
Itamar Ben-Gvir has led seven provocative intrusions into Haram Al Sharif/Temple Mount since 2022.
In 2023, settlers rampaged through the village of Huwara…
in what Israel’s own West Bank military commander described as a “pogrom done by outlaws”.
Last month, the villagers of Mughayyir ad-Deir fled their homes in fear after the construction of an illegal outpost 100m away.
This month, settlers attacked the town of Deir Dibwan…
setting fire to houses and injuring residents.
This violence and rhetoric is deeply concerning.
An assault not just on Palestinian communities…
but on the very fundamentals of a two-state solution.
An attempt to entrench a one-state reality, where there are no equal rights.
The two-state solution remains the only viable framework for a just and lasting peace…
I know it is supported on every side of this House.
Israelis living in secure borders…
recognised and at peace with their neighbours…
free from the threat of terrorism.
Palestinians living in their own state…
with dignity and security…
free of occupation.
Mr Speaker, we are steadfastly committed to defending that vision…
not just with words, but with action.
That is why we have pledged £101m in additional support to the Palestinian people this year.
Why we are working to strengthen and reform the Palestinian Authority…
Why My Right Honourable Friend the Foreign Secretary signed a landmark agreement with Prime Minister Mustafa…
and why my Right Honourable Friend the Prime Minister welcomed him to Downing Street.
Why we are clear that Hamas must release the hostages immediately and unconditionally, and that Hamas can have no role in Palestinian governance.
Why we are committed to working with civil society – Israeli and Palestinian – to support those who believe in peace and coexistence.
However, Mr Speaker, the gravity of the situation demands further action.
The reality is that these human rights abuses…
incitement to violence…
the extremist rhetoric…
comes not just from an uncontrolled fringe…
but from individuals who are Ministers in this Israeli government.
We have to hold them to account and protect the viability of the two-state solution.
And so today, we are sanctioning Bezalel Smotrich and Itamar Ben-Gvir…
acting alongside Australia, Canada, New Zealand, and Norway…
who have also announced their own measures today.
These two men are responsible for inciting settler violence against Palestinian communities in the West Bank…
violence which has led to the deaths of Palestinian civilians and the displacement of whole towns and villages.
This violence constitutes an abuse of Palestinians human rights.
It is cruel and degrading…
and completely unacceptable.
We have told the Israeli Government repeatedly that we would take tougher action if this did not stop.
It still didn’t.
The appalling rhetoric has continued unchecked.
Violent perpetrators continue to act with encouragement and impunity.
So let me tell the House now…
when we say something, we mean it.
Today, with our partners…
we have shown the extremists we will not sit by while they wreck the prospects of future peace.
Mr Speaker, our actions today do not diminish our support for the security of Israel and the Israeli people.
The agendas of these two men are not even supported by the majority of Israelis…
Israelis recognise that these individuals are not working in their interest.
As the Foreign Secretary said to this House last month…
we want a strong friendship with Israel based on shared values and our many close ties.
Our condemnation of Hamas, a proscribed organisation…
and the appalling attacks of October 7th is unequivocal.
Our commitment to Israel’s security and future is unwavering.
We will continue to press for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza…
the release of the hostages still held so cruelly by Hamas…
a ramping up of aid to those Gazans in desperate need.
The repeated threats by Hamas to the lives of the hostages are grotesque…
and prolongs the agony of their families and loved ones.
Hamas should release all the hostages immediately and unconditionally.
Mr Speaker, the situation in the West Bank cannot be seen in isolation from events in Gaza.
Extremist rhetoric advocating forced displacement of Palestinians…
denial of essential aid…
the creation of new Israeli settlements in the Strip…
is equally appalling and dangerous.
This Government will never accept the unlawful transfer of Gazans from or within Gaza…
nor any reduction in the territory of the Gaza Strip.
The humanitarian situation in Gaza remains catastrophic.
While Israel’s ground and air operations expand, Gazans have been pushed into less than 20% of the territory.
Hospitals have been destroyed and damaged.
Gaza’s entire population is at risk of famine.
Meanwhile, Israel’s newly introduced measures for aid delivery endanger civilians and foster desperation.
They are inhumane.
The Red Cross Field Hospital in Rafah reported last week that it has responded to an unprecedented five mass casualty incidents in the two weeks prior…
in each case, Palestinians have been killed or injured trying to access aid sites in Gaza.
Desperate civilians who have endured twenty months of war should never face the risk of death or injury simply to feed themselves and their families.
We need further action from the Israeli government now…
to lift all restrictions on aid…
to enable the UN and aid partners to do their work…
and to ensure food and other critical supplies can reach people safely wherever they are.
We will continue to support the UN and other trusted NGOs as the most effective and principled partners for aid delivery.
Our support has meant over 465,000 people have received essential healthcare…
640,000 have received food…
and 275,000 people have improved access to water, sanitation and hygiene services.
We support the efforts led by the United States, Qatar and Egypt to secure an immediate ceasefire in Gaza.
And we welcome France and Saudi Arabia’s initiative to chair an international conference later this month to advance a two-state solution.
Mr Speaker, it is a two-state solution that is the only way to bring the long-lasting peace that both Israelis and Palestinians deserve.
But it must not remain an empty slogan…
repeated by generations of diplomats and politicians…
but increasingly divorced from the reality on the ground.
Mr Smotrich said there is no such thing as a Palestinian nation.
Mr Ben Gvir has spoken of his rights in the West Bank…
a territory his government is occupying…
as more important than the rights of millions of Palestinians.
Their own words condemn them, Mr Speaker.
To defend those Palestinians’ rights…
to protect the two-state solution…
to see Israelis and Palestinians living side by side in safety and security…
this Government is taking action.
I commend this statement to the House.
