The Situation in Gaza
Since the General Election, I have received an exceptionally high volume of correspondence in relation to the abhorrent situation in Gaza and the West Bank.
I feel it is prudent to share a publicly available and comprehensive response, outlining both my own and the Liberal Democrats’ position, and addressing the many concerns that constituents have raised. Please click the subheadings/links/pages below for statements on specific issues.
Situation Update (Posted 10th July 2026)
*** On Thursday 9th July 2026, a debate on banning trade with illegal Israeli settlements took place in Parliament. The transcript can be read here.
My Liberal Democrat colleague, Charlie Maynard, made the following contribution:
"We need to introduce a legislative ban on all UK trade in goods and services with illegal Israeli settlements. That should include a package of sanctions including large fines for any UK firms that bid for tenders relating to illegal settlement construction in the E1 area or elsewhere in the Occupied Palestinian Territories. These sanctions should extend to include any financial institutions here in the UK that through the provision of finance directly facilitate UK companies’ involvement in construction or other service provision for illegal settlements —and yes, we are all thinking about you, JCB.
Various hon. Members talked about the contrast with the speed at which the Government introduced sanctions on Russian-occupied Crimea and other illegally occupied parts of Ukraine, so I will not rehash those arguments, but the Office of Trade Sanctions Implementation and His Majesty’s Revenue and Customs play key roles in those sanctions, which they are not being asked to play in relation to these sanctions. Members also talked about how other countries, including Spain, the Netherlands, Ireland and Belgium, are implementing bans or legislating to implement bans. If we do not know how to do it, why do we not ask them how they did it? We might learn something.
I want to stress the important subject of services. Compared with the value of goods, the value of services is unknown, but it is almost certainly large, perhaps much larger than goods. Whatever that value is, we want services to be included in the sanctions. I am looking for a commitment from the Minister to a ban that includes services, and to the enforcement of that."
Last September, the Government took the historic decision to recognise the State of Palestine. This was the right thing to do - and a step which the Liberal Democrats had been advocating for for almost a decade. If, however, Ministers fail to protect the territorial integrity of that state, the act of recognition will be remembered only as a hollow gesture. It is time for the Government to put forward a clear plan for halting and reversing the expansion of Israeli settlements in East Jerusalem and the West Bank. Anything less will constitute an abject dereliction of duty to the people of Palestine.
This must include the Government moving to legislate to ban all UK trade in goods and services with the illegal Israeli settlements, ensuring that UK PLC cannot be complicit in their expansion of sustainability.
The Government's current framework remains ineffective. We have seen targeted sanctions against extremist settler groups, yet corporate entities, and even international real estate fairs operating in London, continue to market and trade in settlement goods and services. Recent research reveals that up to 17% of certain regional imports from the area originate from illegal settlements using “supply chains of obfuscation” to bypass tariffs.
It is time to transition from condemnation to active enforcement of a comprehensive suite of sanctions against illegal Israeli settlements. The Government must legislate a total trade ban so that the UK PLC cannot be complicit in their expansion or sustainability.
In addition, members of the Israeli Security Cabinet explicitly stated their goal is to make a sovereign Palestinian state completely unviable. Schemes like the E1 settlement expansion are explicitly designed to bisect the West Bank and render contiguity impossible.
If the Government truly believes in the two-state solution it reaffirmed last autumn when it formally recognised the state of Palestine, it must actively protect the provisional 1967 borders it recognised. Allowing trade with these territories directly finances the infrastructure destroying the very state the UK now formally recognises. Banning this trade is the only way to signal the British recognition comes with diplomatic and economic weight.
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With tens of thousands of Palestinians killed and 90% of the population displaced, the humanitarian situation has reached catastrophic proportions. The systematic nature of the destruction, combined with the blocking of essential aid and targeting of civilian infrastructure, raises serious concerns about violations of international law, including actions that constitute genocide and crimes against humanity under the definitions established in international legal frameworks.
Across the region, there are many families mourning loved ones, and many displaced who want to return to their homes. As the humanitarian crisis in Gaza has deepened, we’ve been the most vocal party in pushing the Government to apply more and genuine pressure to Netanyahu’s Cabinet. We continue to call for a return to a state of ceasefire, a release of the remaining Israeli hostages from Hamas captivity, ensure unhindered access for aid to enter and be distributed to those desperately in need of it in Gaza, to let displaced people return to their homes, and to continue to promote the conditions that would allow for a two-state solution that secures the long-term peace and coexistence of Israel and a Palestinian state.
In June 2025, all 72 Liberal Democrat MPs called for the recognition of Palestine – as a means to stop illegal settlements in the West Bank and the destruction of Gaza, and to show the UK’s commitment to Palestinians right to self-determination. In July, we co-signed Sarah Champion’s letter in relation to UK recognition of a Palestinian state. We therefore greatly welcomed the UK’s official recognition of Palestine on 21st September 2025 as a great step forward but recognise this needs to be followed through by the Government to secure a ceasefire, end the continuous cycle of violence, and to ensure a two-state solution, all of which are the only ways to ensure a permanent end to the conflict.
We continue to call on the Government to:
- End the export of all weapons, including F-35 parts to Israel.
- Sanction Prime Minister Netanyahu and his Ministers for supporting the ever-expanding military campaign in Gaza.
- Introduce a law prohibiting trade of goods and services between the UK and illegal settlements in the Occupied Palestinian Territories.
- Reopen all humanitarian aid routes into Gaza immediately, to address the worsening humanitarian catastrophe.
The current trajectory of this conflict serves no one's interests and only deepens suffering on all sides. The UK has both moral obligations and diplomatic capabilities that must be deployed urgently to help end this catastrophe and establish a pathway to just and lasting peace.
I am committed to ensuring that the UK plays a constructive role in ending the humanitarian crisis and supporting the legitimate aspirations of both Palestinians and Israelis for security, dignity, and peace.