The government must comply with its legal obligations to prevent and punish genocide. There is a wide range of actions they should be taking to do this. They include:

• Ending all arms sales to Israel.
• Actively supporting international justice mechanisms like the ICC and ICJ.
• Imposing trade sanctions against Israel.
• Imposing targeted sanctions against Israeli politicians.
• Recognising a Palestinian state.
• Banning trade with illegal Israeli settlements in the Occupied Palestinian Territories.
• Issuing unambiguous public condemnations recognising violations of international law.
• Calling a genocide a genocide.
• Expelling Israeli diplomats who have cheered genocide on.

Israel and Trump’s decision to instigate a war with Iran represents a dangerous new phase in the current cycle of conflict. Its justification is reminiscent of Iraq but without the pretence of a fabricated report. It is common knowledge that whilst Iran does not currently have a nuclear weapons programme, Israel does have nuclear weapons. We need to be clear that Netanyahu has been emboldened by the support and impunity he has enjoyed whilst carrying out a genocide in Gaza. The IDF is now engaged in military operations against most of its neighbours: in Gaza, the West Bank, Syria, Lebanon and Yemen. This is not about defence, it’s about domination.

In the aftermath of Israel’s strikes against Iran, UK military aircraft were deployed to the Middle East, IDF troops were still training on UK soil and UK arms sales to Israel continued. Bolstering Israel’s military in this way completely undermined any calls for de-escalation. Under no circumstances should UK troops or taxpayer money be used to support a state that is carrying out a genocide and actively seeking a war which risks further destabilising the Middle East.

I believe the UK should cease all trade with illegal Israeli Settlements in the Occupied Palestinian Territories.

The UK has import restrictions on goods from occupied Crimea. It must now apply the same principle to goods from Israeli settlements, which are illegal under international law. I have signed EDM 1266, which calls on the UK Government to ban the importation of goods originating from Israeli settlements and to prohibit companies domiciled in the UK from selling settlement goods and providing services to settlements.

I have also signed EDM 2822, condemning the Israeli Government’s 15 February approval of a plan to register land in the Occupied Palestinian Territory of the West Bank as Israeli state property. It also calls on the UK government to ban trade and investment in goods and services with illegal Israeli settlements, impose targeted sanctions on individuals and entities complicit in Israel’s occupation, suspend the UK–Israel trade agreement until Israel complies with international law, and impose an arms embargo on Israel.

I will continue to use every available avenue to press for stronger action to end the UK’s complicity in settlement expansion and occupation. The UK must lead by example by upholding international law, defending human rights, and pushing for a just and lasting peace.

I believe that businesses must be held accountable when they fail to prevent human rights violations. The findings of the UK National Contact Point on JCB are extremely troubling, and I support calls for stronger laws that would make failure to prevent human rights abuses a corporate offence, as recommended by Parliament’s Joint Committee on Human Rights.

The closure of Al-Aqsa Sanctuary in Jerusalem by Israeli authorities during Ramadan infringes Palestinians’ right to freedom of worship and violates Israel’s obligations under international humanitarian law and UN resolutions. It also breaches the longstanding status quo governing the site.

I have signed EDM 2955 calling on the Government to raise this issue urgently with Israel and in international forums and to press for the site’s immediate reopening, should Isreal fail to do so, the Government would forward appropriate measures, including an immediate suspension of all UK arms exports to Israel, the imposition of widespread and targeted sanctions against those responsible for serious violations of international law, as well as a complete prohibition on trade with illegal Israeli settlements in the Occupied Palestinian Territories, in order to uphold international law, protect Palestinian rights, and safeguard the sanctity of Jerusalem’s holy sites.

I have long raised concerns about the UK government’s role in supplying military hardware to Israel, which may have been used against civilians in Gaza and potentially even against British citizens. I have signed EDM 177, calling on the government to halt arms sales to Israel and I also echoed these calls during a Westminster Hall debate on the 12^th December 2023.

I have signed EDM 1849, which calls on the Government to end all arms trade with Israel, including the supply of F-35 components. Continued involvement in the programme risks implicating the UK in unlawful attacks and grave violations of international law, and it is imperative that we reassess our participation to ensure we are not complicit in such actions.

In February 2024, I joined more than 200 elected representatives to call for an immediate embargo on arms sales to Israel. The ICJ ruling means this is now not just a moral necessity now but a legal one. I was a signatory on Zarah Sultana’s letter urging the government to suspend arms sales in March 2024 and a principle sponsor on her King’s Speech amendment in July 2024 to end arms sales and uphold international law.

It seems increasingly clear that exporting military hardware made in Britain to be used in the mass slaughter of Palestinians and civilians from elsewhere is not just immoral but clearly illegal. It puts us firmly on the wrong side of international law.

I have stood in open solidarity with the crew of civilian-led aid missions to Gaza who sought to break the siege and deliver vital aid. I commend those who have shown their willingness to take action against the illegal blockade and deliver much needed aid to those who need it.

During PMQs, I challenged the Prime Minister to set out what steps ministers will take to protect British citizens aboard the Sumud as they sought to do what the international community has failed to do: break Israel’s blockade of Gaza. I also coordinated a letter from MPs to the Foreign Secretary, calling on her to take active steps to ensure the safety of the flotilla, and the British Citizens on board.

Member states, including the UK, have a legal and moral obligation to act to stop the starvation and suffering in Gaza. I take my responsibilities in Westminster seriously and will continue to do everything I can to press for safe, sustained, and unhindered humanitarian access.

I support the safe arrival of Palestinian students so they may continue their education and have access to services to help them heal from the immense trauma they have endured.   

I am encouraged that the Home Secretary has approved special arrangements for students in Gaza who have been offered fully funded scholarships at UK universities. However, even with this support from the UK government, Israel must still agree to allow each individual student to exit Gaza, a critical step that remains uncertain.    

The current situation – with the UK Visa Application Centre in Gaza closed and students, many of whom have secured university offers and scholarships, left in limbo – is unacceptable. I am concerned by reports that requests for biometric visa deferrals have gone unanswered and that continued delays in the visa process are preventing students from enrolling in time for September.

I am seriously concerned by the reports of systematic torture of Palestinians detained and imprisoned by Israel, including reports of beatings, sexual violence, starvation and mistreatment. I am aware that a number of prisoners have died in custody as a result of this abuse.  

I am alarmed by the recent legislation passed by the Israeli parliament which has now introduced the death penalty exclusively for Palestinian prisoners. I believe this further supports the case that Israel is operating an apartheid regime, which the International Court of Justice (ICJ) found Israel to be committing in July 2024. I believe the UK has an obligation to prevent this mistreatment of Palestinian prisoners which I believe breaches international law, and I have signed EDM 3158 which calls on the Government to demand the release of Palestinian prisoners who are being unjustly detained. 

I have long believed that recognition of the State of Palestine has long been a crucial step to not only ending the violence and genocide in Gaza, but to limiting Hamas’ actions in the region. I am pleased the Government officially recognised the State of Palestine in September 2025.

In October 2024, the Israeli Knesset (Parliament) passed two bills banning Israeli officials from engaging with UNRWA (United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees) and preventing the organisation from working in Israeli territory and East Jerusalem. This legislation came into force on the January 31st 2025 and was followed soon after by a near-total Israeli blockade of food, medicine and fuel. This effectively brought UNRWA’s operations to a halt and created conditions of abject famine for the millions trapped in ever-smaller areas of Gaza by constant Israeli bombardment.

UNRWA was the one agency with the infrastructure and expertise to supply aid across Gaza. Israel’s decision to dismantle it, along with its efforts to destroy Gaza’s hospitals, schools, and homes, signals clear intent to make conditions unlivable in the area. It deprives returning Palestinians of access to education, healthcare and other basic services.

The blockade of essential aid was bad but it gets worse. On the 26^th of May, the so-called Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (hereafter referred to as GHF), opened new distribution hubs in Rafah. Since then, barely a day has passed without news of Israeli forces opening fire on starving Palestinians. Over a thousand people have died.

The GHF successfully hijacked Gaza’s aid network and turned it into another weapon to carry out its genocide without any real repercussions from the international community. As long as Israel wields control over the supply of Gaza’s food, medicine and water, more Palestinians will die in this way. Our government must push for an independent UN inquiry into the aid site killings and put concrete pressure on Israel to reinstate UNRWA.

I have been concerned by the heavy-handed policing response to overwhelmingly peaceful protests which have majority support from the public. The mass arrest of people protesting the Gaza genocide in January 2025 (including democratically elected representatives) was an outrageous infringement of our rights to free speech and free assembly. The ceasefire protests of the last fifteen months have been overwhelmingly peaceful, diverse, and well-attended. Those in attendance are many of the same people rightly celebrated across our society for standing up to the far right during last summer’s riots. I believe these repressive police actions highlight the pressing need for the repeal of anti-protest legislation designed to silence those seeking to highlight social injustices. 

Please see my statement on the Palestine Action proscription vote.

Amid the appalling civilian casualty count, it is incredibly distressing to see the high numbers of aid workers, health providers, and journalists who have lost their lives since October. In what has been the deadliest war for aid workers in the history of the UN, at least 224 aid workers have lost their lives. Gaza’s Ministry of Health has recorded the deaths of at least 484 health workers and its Media Office has stated that 140 journalists and media workers have been killed.

When three UK aid workers from World Kitchen Central were killed in cold blood on the 1^st April 2024, UK political leaders refused to even call for a proper independent investigation into their deaths, never mind suspend arms sales to the forces that killed them. It is disgraceful that the last government put Israel’s war above the lives of British citizens. There should be a full independent investigation into these deaths. 

On the 20th May 2024, the International Criminal Court (ICC) filed applications for warrants of arrest for senior leaders in Hamas and Israel. This is an important legal case, which offers the possibility of breaking through what Human Rights Watch has called “the wall of impunity” that Israel has long hidden behind.

The previous Conservative government lodged an objection to this case at the time, taking their lead from the Biden Administration. I opposed this attempt to thwart the judicial process at the time and signed EDM (Early Day Motion) 14 when the new Labour government came in. This urged the government to reverse this position, which it thankfully did on the 26th July.

One of the most important tools we have for preventing civilian deaths is ensuring that those responsible are brought to justice. If Benjamin Netanyahu or Yoav Gallant come to Britain, it’s absolutely essential that we comply with our treaty obligations and turn them over to face justice.

On the 29th December 2023, South Africa made a submission to the United Nations International Court of Justice (ICJ) to declare Israel in breach of its obligations to the 1948 Genocide Convention, alleging that “acts and omissions by Israel” in Gaza “are genocidal in character” and have been committed with “the requisite specific intent” to “destroy Palestinians in Gaza as a part of the broader Palestinian national, racial and [ethnic] group”. South Africa asked the ICJ to issue Provisional Measures and order Israel to “immediately suspend its military operations in and against Gaza”. 

On the 26th January 2024, the ICJ ruled in favour of South Africa, ordering Israel to take steps to prevent and punish any incitement of genocide in Gaza and to allow humanitarian aid into the territory. Israel was also obligated to report back to the court in one month on the actions it was taking to this effect. I welcomed the ICJ ruling on this issue but like others, I was dismayed that the judgement fell short of calling for a ceasefire. In my view, the only way to prevent genocide in the region was for Israel’s allies, most notably the US, to press for an immediate ceasefire.

I am concerned to hear reports of rising levels of Islamophobia and Antisemitism in the UK, and around the world. No one deserves to face hate or prejudice because of their religious beliefs and minority groups should not be targeted because of international conflict. Anyone who has suffered or witnessed Antisemitism is encouraged to contact the Community Security Trust. Anyone who has suffered or witnessed Islamophobia is encouraged to contact Tell Mama UK. These two organisations are involved in mapping hate crimes. 

The last government’s response to the plight of Palestinian refugees driven from Gaza was typical of their punitive approach to people seeking safe passage in our country. I found this out for myself when my constituent attempted to apply for family members to join him in February 2024. They were rejected because they could not provide the biometric data that the Home Office requires. By asking Palestinian refugees to apply in Ramallah, Jerusalem, or in a nearby country, the last government effectively told people they would have to travel through an active warzone to submit information. 

Refugees with relatives in the UK are trapped in a bureaucratic nightmare: they cannot enrol their biometrics because they cannot leave Gaza and they cannot leave Gaza because they cannot enrol their biometrics.

When millions were displaced by Russia’s appalling invasion of Ukraine in 2021, the last government rightly had the Homes for Ukraine Scheme live in a matter of weeks. Yet they have refused to create a similar pathway for Palestinians with relatives already living in the UK. The Home Office has rejected every request from Palestinian refugees for biometric deferral and predetermination since the 7th October. Yet between 15th March 2022 and 7th December 2023, Ukrainian nationals could apply online without the need to do this until after reaching safety in the UK.

It is important to state clearly that the one thing Palestinians want more than anything is a safe return to their homes, as is their human right. Sadly, the inordinate civilian death toll in this conflict means that many Palestinians simply will not be alive to exercise this right. In the debate on this issue on the 13th May 2024, I made my views on this very clear, calling once again for a ceasefire, an arms embargo against Israel, and the creation of a Palestinian family reunion scheme.

As well as failing to push for a ceasefire, the last government did not do enough to help people leave the warzone. During the first few weeks of the conflict, I was contacted by constituents trapped in the occupied West Bank and unable to leave. I have also been contacted by at least one constituent whose relatives were unable to flee Gaza because there is nowhere for them to submit the biometric data our government requires of them. I’ve been glad to see families challenging this decision in the courts and winning. 

If you are a constituent and require assistance with leaving the territory or with family reunion, please reach out to my office at bell.ribeiroaddy.mp@parliament.uk.