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The Foreign Affairs Committee publishes today its first report in the new parliament: “The Israel-Palestine conflict”.    

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The report finds that the UK’s actions in the Israel-Palestine conflict, and in the years preceding, have often been too little, too late. 

The Committee calls on the UK Government to take seriously its influence on the United States, to help bring an end to the conflict.  

At the same time, the UK must immediately take a harder line on settlements and undertake a thorough programme of evidence collection.  

Israeli Government “not listening to the UK” 

The Committee is agreed that the Israeli Government has not listened to the UK, nor its friends and allies – with the exception of the US.  The report concludes that the UK Government must take a different approach.  

The report finds that Israel must open all crossing points without restriction to food, medical, shelter materials and other aid inflows to Gaza.  

The Committee also finds that the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, its aid sites and its activities in Gaza must be dismantled immediately and replaced with a UN-led system. 

It also calls on the UK Government to support a medical evacuation of critically injured children to the UK. 

UK Government must act “more boldly and bravely” 

The Committee calls for the UK’s sanctions against illegal outposts and violent Israeli settlers to be sustained and extended to all businesses operating in Israeli settlements in the West Bank. The Government must take immediate steps to implement a comprehensive ban on the import of goods from the illegal settlements in the West Bank.  

It calls on the Government to set out in its response to the report the concrete action it is taking as a result of the International Court of Justice’s Advisory Opinion which was delivered over a year ago.  

The Committee asks the UK Government to set out how permitting indirect exports of F-35 components to the global supply pool is consistent with its obligations under International Humanitarian Law. 

The report also calls on the UK Government to set up a project to preserve and record evidence on both sides of the conflict, collecting evidence of acts during the conflict for future legal processes. 

Two-state solution and recognition  

The report calls on the UK, along with France – the co-signatory of the 1916 Sykes-Picot Agreement – to recognise the state of Palestine while there is still a state to recognise. This recommendation was divided on and agreed by a majority.  

The Committee calls on the UK Government to leverage its long history of involvement with and understanding of the region to act more boldly and bravely in bringing together historic friends and allies to prepare the ground for a long-term two-state solution.  

As well as a long history in the Middle East, the report finds that the UK has much experience from the conflict and peace processes in Northern Ireland which had been thought to be intractable for decades. 

Chair comment

Chair of the Foreign Affairs Committee, Dame Emily Thornberry MP, said:  

“The UK Government must do all in its power to help secure a ceasefire, to return the hostages, and deliver humanitarian aid to the people of Gaza.  

“No one watching the images of the suffering of the Palestinians, or hearing the testimony of Israeli hostage families, can be anything other than profoundly moved and distressed by what has been happening and want their government to play its part in bringing about peace and justice.  

“There is undoubtedly huge frustration among many of the British public that the Government has consistently acted too little, too late. And there is huge frustration that the far-right government currently in charge in Israel is refusing to listen to its historic friends and allies. 

“But we must not shrug our shoulders in despair and say that there is nothing we can do. This report puts forward practical suggestions for how the British Government can make a real difference.  

“The Government must immediately extend sanctions against settlers and take every possible step to prohibit the import of goods from illegal Israeli settlements in the West Bank.

“We must also play our part in evidence collection, which will be vital to the inevitable legal reckoning when this conflict finally comes to an end. 

“But we also must be realistic about our role. Our greatest power is in our alliances: whether that is persuading the US to have an influence on Israel to come to a ceasefire, or with nations in the region whose support will be vital to a long-term two-state solution. 

“It is the view of the majority of the committee that the UK Government should immediately recognise the state of Palestine, signalling the UK’s desire to work urgently towards a two-state solution alongside our allies. 

“The United Kingdom has a unique history with the Middle East and deeply-rooted alliances with many countries in the region. We have enormous experience of peacebuilding in Northern Ireland – another conflict that everybody said was too difficult to solve until it was done.  

“We have a duty to take advantage of that unique position to do all we can to bring about peace.” 

Committee member comment

Member of the Foreign Affairs Committee, Sir John Whittingdale MP, said: 

“The Committee has spent nine months taking evidence on the Israel-Palestine conflict. It is an issue which understandably generates strong emotions on both sides.  

“I hope that our report is balanced and realistic, and our recommendations are designed to help the Government work towards achieving the release of hostages, an end to conflict and progress towards the two-state solution that we all believe offers the only route towards peaceful co-existence for the Israeli and Palestinian people. The only issue on which we did not agree was on whether recognition of a Palestinian state now would help to bring that about”.