Government insists that Israel must end its presence in the occupied palestinian territories in reply to Stephen
Yesterday, 9 October, the Minister for the Middle East responded to Stephen’s letter of 25 September, setting out the UK’s position on the recent ICJ ruling, its bans on arms exports to Israel, and his work to de-escelate the conflcit.
On 25 September, Stephen wrote to the David Lammy, the Foreign Secretary, to highlight a recent report by Defense for Children International-Palestine that found 41,000 people have been killed in Israel’s invasion of Gaza. Stephen asked the Foreign Secretary about his suspension of export licenses to Israel and the UN General Assembly’s vote to enact the ICJ’s July ruling against Israel.
Hamish Falconer, the Minister for the Middle East, replied to Stephen yesterday. In his reply, he reiterated the UK Government’s call for an immediate ceasefire, the release of the hostages, and the withdrawal of Israel from the Occupied Palestinian Territories. He stated that the Government is considering the ICJ’s ruling, noting that the ICJ took five months to read its conclusions.
The Minister also discussed the Government’s suspension of 30 export licenses to Israel. The Minister pointed out that the Government has banned exports for military components that the IDF could use in Gaza, instead of banning civilian items.“[The banned exports are] components which go into military aircraft, including fighter aircraft, helicopters and drones, as well as items which facilitate ground targeting,” he explained.
“The Foreign Secretary and his entire Ministerial team will continue to do all they can to secure lasting peace in the region,” he concluded.