In Foreign Office Questions in the House of Commons this week, numerous Conservative MPs voiced support for Israel’s fight against terrorism, particularly from rocket and cross-border tunnel attacks.
Condemning the firing of over 800 rockets at Israel from Gaza in 2018, Nigel Huddleston MP asked the Middle East Minister “what help we are providing Israel in their fight against terrorism?”.
Middle East Minister Rt. Hon. Alistair Burt MP underlined: “We will continue to support very strongly the right of Israel to defend itself”. Andrea Jenkyns MP and Bob Blackman MP raised the issue of cross-border attack tunnels built by Hamas’s misappropriation of aid, and Damien Moore MP condemned Hezbollah’s building of “highly advanced” attack tunnels from Lebanon.
Middle East Minister Rt. Hon. Alistair Burt MP emphasised in his response that “ultimately there is no future for Hamas and for Gaza unless they stop the terror tactics, stop the diversion of materials… and make peace with Israel”.
CFI Parliamentary Chairman, Rt. Hon. Stephen Crabb MP, underlined in is question that humanitarian support for Palestinians is “vital”, but raised concerns about the “track record of Hamas in seeking to abuse and exploit UNRWA”.
Philip Hollobone MP asked what the UK is doing to support human right defenders in Hamas-controlled Gaza, stating that “journalists are oppressed, demonstrations are violently put down and public executions take place”.
Read the full exchanges here.
