The Government’s decision last year to recognise the State of Palestine was something I had called for, but I was also clear in my many meetings with ministers and the Foreign Secretary over the past two years, that recognition could not happen in isolation. Recognition of Palestinian statehood had to be part of a wider strategy to protect the viability of a peaceful settlement and a two-state solution. Action has taken too long, and I was also pleased to see Prime Minister Andy Burnham apologise for the Government’s poor handling of this crisis.
I am glad our Government, along with Canada and France, have worked together to impose sanctions. These sanctions will ban imports of settlement goods while also acting against companies and individuals who provide services for settlement expansion.
This is both a moral and legal issue. The rules of international law must mean something, and the rights and dignity of Palestinian people cannot simply be set aside because standing up for them is politically difficult. As a member of the House of Commons Business and Trade Select Committee, alongside colleagues, I have scrutinised the UK Government’s exports and trade arrangements with Israel and have pressed ministers and the Department for Business and Trade over gaps in export control transparency, specifically questioning whether UK goods or arms have contributed to conflicts or breaches of international law. As a committee, we have also continued to scrutinise government departments regarding the economic interconnections between Israel and Palestine, to resolve technical difficulties around trade bans, and push for accountability for rising settler violence in the West Bank.
We have seen the onslaught and ethnic cleansing through our phone screens, as Israel has divided the region and clawed at parts of Palestinian territory. Through my work with Labour Friends of Palestine, I have worked with many of my Labour colleagues to push forcefully from within our party, the need for humanitarian access and a path towards peace and Palestinian statehood.
I am disgusted by rhetoric from some Israeli ministers, including comments by Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich advocating a “Greater Israel”. The idea of expanding Israel’s territory at the expense of Palestinian land is completely incompatible with a genuine two-state solution, indeed that I suppose is the point for some who prop up Netanyahu’s Government, nothing but the destruction of Palestinian autonomy will do.
Following yesterday’s announcement, National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir called for Israel to recognise Argentina’s claim to the Falkland Islands and impose sanctions on Britain. The Falkland Islanders’ right to determine their own future should not be used as a political bargaining chip. The UK Government must continue to stand firmly behind the people of the Falkland Islands and their right to self-determination. This underlines the desperation of the Netanyahu government as they approach an election in October where their extremism and violence will face public reckoning.
I have spent my time as an MP calling for the protection of people in Palestine and the Gaza Strip, but I have done and continue to do so in a way that has genuine impact on the people affected. On issues such as this, I believe in acting more and talking less. Far too often politicians and activists believe that the sharing of a social media post and collective public hand-wringing is impactful social action, for many social media is the sum total of their efforts. I am clear, my activism and advocacy will be impactful for the people who need it. It will be focused on results, not on social media likes or shares.
Our Government has been clear that these measures are targeted at illegal settlement activity and those facilitating its expansion, not at people because they are Israeli or Jewish, indeed the conflation of all Jewish people and the actions of the Netanyahu Government are a huge part of the problem. The UK can maintain strong relationships with the Israeli people while being prepared to challenge actions by the Netanyahu Government that undermine international law and the prospect of peace.
Britain has a responsibility to stand up for international law, human rights and the possibility of a peaceful two-state solution. That means acting when those principles are being undermined, even when doing so is politically difficult.
