Stephen has written to the Foreign Secretary, Dominic Raab, asking that he raise the issue of Israel’s human rights record at the UN Human Rights Council.
The current session of the Human Rights Council is currently taking place in Geneva. In advance of the meeting Stephen was contacted by a number of constituents who were troubled by the UK’s record of abstaining in previous votes that were critical of Israel’s human rights policy.
In his letter Stephen urged the Foreign Secretary to find a “sustainable solution” to the question of Palestine based on principles of international law. He noted that his constituents believed Israel should be obligated to follow international law, something which they have failed to do in the past.
Speaking about the letter Stephen said, “A number of my constituents have been in touch with me about this in recent weeks, so I felt it was important to relay their concerns to the Foreign Secretary.
“Without the insistence on basic protections for the rights of Palestinians, we will never make the progress we all want to see towards a long term, sustainable peace in the Middle East. I will continue to press the Government on the actions it is taking on these issues and follow any developments closely.”