Thank you for your email on the humanitarian situation in Gaza.
My concerns about Palestine long predate the horrific events of October 7th in the Hamas attacks. I have often spoken about Palestine in Parliament and in my other work as an MP. I have visited Israel and Palestine twice, most recently last May 2023 and came back very depressed because it was obvious that Palestinians had lost hope. I have set up the Conservative Friends of Palestine organisation to raise awareness among Conservative MPs and we hold meetings to meet Palestinians and aid agencies. There have been several meetings recently where cross-party MPs have heard about the experiences of people on both sides who have been caught up in the conflict in Gaza. I have sponsored a Parliamentarian event on the humanitarian crisis in Gaza on the 14th of March, a platform where Oxfam, other non-governmental organizations and experts engaged with Parliamentarians and key stakeholders to address the humanitarian crisis in Gaza.
I have been clear that we need an immediate ceasefire. I have written to and met the Foreign Secretary, Lord Cameron, about the situation in Gaza and will continue to press him on the subject. I was very glad to see the UK adopting this position and vote for an immediate and sustained ceasefire to protect civilians in Gaza at the UN Security Council. You can read more about this here.
All export licence applications are assessed on a case-by-case basis against the Strategic Export Licensing Criteria. Minister Mitchell addressed the arms licensing regime on the Floor of the House on the 26th of March, where he stated:
"We have a robust arms export licensing regime. All exports are regularly assessed against clear criteria. We regularly review Israel’s adherence to international humanitarian law and act in accordance with that. As he indicated, we advise the Department for Business and Trade on the situation in-country. The DBT and its Secretary of State are the decision-making authorities, but I would point out to him that UK exports are very small, amounting to 0.02% of Israel’s military imports, and we publish a comprehensive report on official statistics every quarter."
You can read the entire debate here.
While I am not able to attend every debate on the floor of the house, I do make sure to attend as many as possible to shine a light on the humanitarian situation in Gaza and Palestine territories. You can find my latest speeches on the topic here: Contributions for Mrs Flick Drummond - Hansard - UK Parliament and you can find videos of my contributions on my Facebook page: Flick Drummond | Facebook.
The rule of law must remain paramount in all these matters whether at home or abroad. There is bipartisan agreement between the Government and Opposition on our approach, which is to press both sides to de-escalate and to return to the Oslo Accord principles. We need to get more aid in, get vulnerable people out of harm's way and to have a sustainable ceasefire so that Israelis and Palestinians can get back to the negotiating table.
However, I do worry that Israel's actions are no longer proportional and that the humanitarian situation in Gaza is continuously worsening. I have also written an article for The House magazine on the topic which you can find here: Israel’s actions in Gaza are no longer proportionate (politicshome.com).
I will continue to work towards an immediate ceasefire on both sides, the release of the hostages, humanitarian aid brought in and the reinstating of UNRWA funding. Hamas needs to lay down its weapons and be brought to account for the October 7th atrocities and Israel needs to stop fighting, we all want an end to the bloodshed and fighting.
If you have not already signed up for my newsletter, where I update constituents on the work I am doing on this issue as well as the other aspects of my work as an MP, I recommend doing so. You can sign up at www.flickdrummond.com
I hope this information is useful to you and thank you again for getting in touch.
