I would like to thank constituents who have
recently contacted me regarding the UN Human Rights Council (UNHRC) Commission
of Inquiry into the Gaza border protests last year.
I am sorry to inform them that I do not sign Early
Day Motions(EDMs), as apart from costing taxpayers unnecessary amounts of
money, they rarely achieve any real change.
However I do share their dismay at the tragic loss
of life in Gaza, which is a deeply concerning escalation in violence.
The UNHRC inquiry failed to examine the Hamas
terror group’s involvement in the riots. For that reason the UK Government
declined to support the subsequent report.
Hamas’s exploitation of a legitimate protest to
further its well-documented violent intentions towards Israeli citizens is
abhorrent. The terror group, which controls Gaza, encouraged riots and
infiltration attempts into Israel, knowingly and deliberately putting Gazans in
harm’s way. Social media was also used to encourage protestors to bring weapons
hidden beneath their clothes.
Hamas Prime Minister Yahya Sinwar described the
stated aim of the attempts to breach the border as follows: “We will take down
the border and we will tear out their hearts from their bodies”.
The UNHRC report also neglected to note that in the
first instance, Israeli soldiers used non-lethal crowd dispersal measures, with
strict orders that they were only allowed to use live fire if their lives were
in danger; if they saw critical border security infrastructure being damaged;
or if they identified main instigators or a rush by a number of people towards
the border.
Last Friday, the UK’s Permanent Representative to
the UNHRC explained the UK’s decision to abstain on a vote to adopt the report
in question by stating that Hamas bear “principal responsibility as their
operatives have cynically exploited the protests”. The UK Government has also
made clear that the presence of a dedicated agenda item concerning Israel in
every UNHRC session amounts to “systemic institutional bias” and is an
“impediment to dialogue” between Israel and the Palestinians.
I am also deeply concerned about the increase in
indiscriminate rocket fire into Israel from Gaza. On Monday, a long-range Hamas
missile destroyed a home in central Israel, wounding seven members of the Wolf
family who are originally from the UK, including a 12-year-old girl, a
3-year-old boy and a 6 month old baby.
Over 60 rockets and mortars were fired at Israel
this week, and Israel struck dozens of Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad targets
in the Gaza Strip in response to the rocket fire. I am extremely disturbed by
reports that Hamas is planning a ‘million man march’ to mark the one year
anniversary of the border protests. It is also gravely concerning that the
terror group violently suppressed protest movements in Gaza last week.
No doubt my constituents share my view that until
Hamas seeks peace instead of terror, there can be no progress towards a peace
resolution with Israel.
It is important to note that as is befitting of a
democracy, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) have strict rules of engagement
which conform to the laws of war, and Israel is currently carrying out an
investigation into the conduct of its soldiers on the Gaza border.
Regarding arms sales, Israel is a long-term ally of
the UK and shares many mutual interests, including close intelligence and
military cooperation. As a country renowned for its high-tech expertise, the UK
benefits from Israeli military technology. Israeli technology that the UK uses
include battlefield medical technology, techniques for dealing with suicide
bombers, and technology to counter remotely-detonated terrorist bombs. Israeli
drone technology such as the Watchkeeper WK45 has also been used by British
forces in Afghanistan for intelligence collection. These technologies have
protected the lives of many British soldiers.
An arms embargo on Israel and the wider boycott
campaign stands to be damaging for UK-Israel bilateral relations, and is
counterproductive to the peace process.
What is clear, above all, is that the need for a
renewed peace process is more urgent than ever. The UK Government remains
committed to a two-state solution through direct negotiations, and all parties
involved as well as the international community must step up efforts without
delay.
