Speeches by Mohamed.

“On that point, why are we watching other countries take the steps first? Why are we not leading? Why are we not taking the action and bringing other countries with us? Other countries—Spain, Belgium, the Netherlands—have been more proactive than us on this particular issue. Why has the UK not decided, “This a step that…”

“But in terms of stronger action going forward, you are saying that conversations still need to be had.”

“Foreign Secretary, you mentioned Andy Burnham; I will start with his position statement and then come on to settlements. He made a statement on Gaza, saying we “didn’t get it right” and that we “need to do better”. It also said that it took far too long to call for a ceasefire and “we must now do more to strengthen our…”

“Given the scale of the settlement expansions, what timescale are you looking at to ensure that a ban is in place?”

“When you gave evidence in our previous session in December, we talked about banning settlement goods. The Committee made recommendations on banning settlement goods in our report, to which your response was, “we have not followed the approach that the Select Committee has taken, not least because of the complexity of t…”

“I will, and it will be my final intervention.”

“I beg to move, That this House has considered the potential merits of a ban on trade with illegal Israeli settlements. I am grateful to the Backbench Business Committee for granting the debate, the Government for allocating time for it, Members from across the House for supporting the application, and 32,000 constituen…”

“My hon. Friend makes an excellent point. The new bypass road, which is for Palestinians only, will reroute Palestinians and seal off the E1 corridor permanently. This is a state-wide strategy that uses every civilian and military means to appropriate land, isolate Palestinians and make a Palestinian state impossible to…”

“I will be as brief as possible, Madam Deputy Speaker. I thank everybody for their excellent contributions: those who are here with us now in the Chamber and those who were not able to make a contribution—I know many colleagues have left now but wanted to make interventions. I thank the Minister for his action and the w…”

“I agree with my hon. Friend; he makes a powerful point. Some time ago, the Palestinian ambassador, Dr Husam Zomlot, reminded parliamentarians that Gaza, East Jerusalem and the west bank are not separate issues, but all parts of the same national story. They may be separated, occupied and besieged, but they are all conn…”

“The hon. Member makes an excellent point. The first act should be that we seek to stem trade from the settlements; the other points are valid ones that must be explored. Let us imagine two children born in the same land: one is born in an Israeli settlement; the other is born in a Palestinian community—perhaps one of t…”

“I agree with my hon. Friend, and that is why it is essential that we are having this debate and that there must be a ban on trade. I will not take further interventions now because I have to make progress. The annexation has accelerated so fast that today 750,000 settlers are believed to be living on occupied Palestini…”

“The exploitations in the leasehold system are endless: unfair service charges, ground rents, marriage value buy backs, the hidden cost of utilities, inflated insurance—the list goes on and on, as do the ways that freeholders line their pockets while ordinary homeowners bear the cost. We have seen that acutely in Sheffi…”

“I welcome the Foreign Secretary’s statement and the measures that she has announced today, but I want to come back to her strong advice to businesses that we should not conduct any economic and financial activities in illegal Israeli settlements, rather than having an outright ban. We know a ban is possible, because we…”

“So is any work taking place in relation to women and girls in this particular field?”

“Which Department made the cuts in relation to the gender and national security portfolio?”

“The FCDO made the cuts, but the Cabinet Office has not confirmed them?”

“On gender and women and girls, you mentioned that the funding has come to an end. The gender and national security portfolio came to an end in March this year. Are we left now with a gaping hole in the work being done in relation to women and girls and prevention of national security issues? Is this an issue because th…”

“I welcome the Foreign Secretary’s statement and the measures that she has announced today, but I want to come back to her strong advice to businesses that we should not conduct any economic and financial activities in illegal Israeli settlements, rather than having an outright ban. We know a ban is possible, because we…”

“Some 125 health workers have been killed in Lebanon in the last three months alone. Today, an Israeli strike hit an ambulance in south Lebanon, killing two paramedics, which takes the death toll to 127. The November 2024 ceasefire agreement is barely worth the paper it is written on. The Minister rightly condemns the t…”