This petition was submitted during the 2019-2024 parliament
Petition Withdraw support for Israel and support Palestine in Israel-Palestine conflict
Israel's response to Hamas' attacks, has led to deprivation of basic needs for Palestinians.
More details
The Government should cease its support for Israel and support Palestine as they are supporting Ukraine.
The Israeli-Palestinian conflict has been a long-standing issue that has caused immense suffering and displacement for both Israelis and Palestinians. However, in recent years, there has been a growing concern over Israel's treatment of the Palestinian people, particularly in terms of their military actions and occupation of Palestinian territories.
Israel's occupation of Palestinian territories, including the West Bank and East Jerusalem, is widely regarded as illegal under international law.
This petition is closed This petition ran for 6 months
Government responded
This response was given on 8 December 2023
We support Israel’s right to self-defence, complying with international humanitarian law. We continue to push for a long-term political solution for Israel and the Palestinian Authority.
Read the response in full
We support Israel’s legitimate right to defend itself against Hamas’ terrorist attacks. On 7 October, Israel suffered an appalling and unprecedented attack, and we are right to support them as they try and deal with the Hamas terrorist threat.
We are also clear that Israel must abide by international humanitarian law. The Foreign Secretary emphasised this to the Israeli President during his recent visit, and again in his speech at the Aspen Security Forum on 7 December, where he also stressed the importance of reducing civilian casualties. The UK will maintain a continuous dialogue with Israel and keep stressing the critical importance of humanitarian law. It is vital that all parties ensure their actions are proportionate, necessary and minimise harm to civilians.
We recognise that Palestinian civilians are experiencing a devastating and growing humanitarian crisis; alleviating the suffering is a top UK priority. On 24 November, the Foreign Secretary announced a further £30 million of humanitarian assistance to the region, bringing the total to £60 million. To date the UK has also delivered 74 tonnes of aid, but there is still more to do to ensure greater volumes of food, fuel and other life-saving aid can reach Gaza on a sustained basis. We continue to press – both at the UN and directly with Israel – for unhindered humanitarian access and substantive, repeated humanitarian pauses that allow aid to enter.
To prevent further conflict and terrorism, there must be a long-term political solution; a two-state solution which provides justice and security for both Israelis and Palestinians. We agree with the US that Gaza should ultimately be under Palestinian control and that the Palestinian Authority has an important long-term role to play, as the PM has discussed on several occasions with President Abbas. As the Foreign Secretary said on 7 December, we must work with our allies to build up the Palestinian Authority, so that we can see a move towards a peaceful Palestinian leadership as soon as is practicable.
We are also urging Israel to de-escalate tensions in the West Bank. The UK has also made it clear that settler violence and the targeting of Palestinian civilians is completely unacceptable. As the Prime Minister said to PM Netanyahu when they spoke on 5 December, the Israeli government must take meaningful steps to tackle this issue.
Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office
Related activity
MPs discuss the situation in Israel and Palestine
In the last two weeks, MPs have been regularly discussing the situation in Israel and Palestine. You can find details of relevant discussions in the House of Commons, and how to keep up to date on future business, below.
On Monday 16 October, the Prime Minister, Rishi Sunak MP, made a statement in the House of Commons about Israel and Gaza.
On Wednesday 18 October the Foreign Secretary, James Cleverly MP, answered an urgent question about the explosion at the Al-Ahli Arab Hospital in Gaza.
On Monday 23 October, the Prime Minister made a further statement in the House of Commons about Israel and Gaza.
What are Ministerial statements?
Ministerial statements are a way for Ministers to bring an important matter to the attention of the House.
What are Urgent Questions?
If an urgent or important matter arises which an MP believes requires an immediate answer from a government minister, they may apply to ask an urgent question.
The relevant Government Minister has to come to the Chamber to explain what the Government is doing on the issue raised. The Minister will then usually take questions on the subject from MPs.
Keep up to date
You can find out about upcoming business in the House of Commons, including future discussions about the situation in Israel and Palestine, using Parliament's 'What's on' page.
Find out more about the situation in Israel and Palestine
The House of Commons has published a briefing on UK and international response to the Israel-Hamas conflict.
The House of Commons has also published a reading list that provides links to Commons Library papers, Committee reports, parliamentary material and UK Government press releases related to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict during the current parliament. It also includes material on issues related to the current conflict, such as Iran’s influence in the Middle East and Hezbollah’s position in Lebanon. This paper will be updated regularly.
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MPs investigate the UK’s engagement with the Middle East and North Africa
A group of MPs called the Foreign Affairs Committee are looking into the UK’s engagement with the Middle East and North Africa.
The Committee is considering issues including:
The medium and long-term challenges facing the countries of the Middle East and North Africa
The main countries in which the UK should focus its efforts within the region
The conflict between Israel and Palestine and what can be done to engage all parties in seeking a peaceful resolution
How the UK should respond to the growing engagement of major powers like Russia, China, Turkey and India in the region.
The investigation was launched in July, but following recent events the Committee has confirmed that it is likely to look at viability of a two-state solution for Israel and Palestine, and how the UK might be able to help resolve the conflict peacefully.
Read the Committee's press notice announcing this work for more information.
What happens next?
The Committee is going to conduct oral evidence sessions where they will hear from experts in the field, such as former ambassadors to the region, diplomats, academics, NGOs and charities.
The Committee will then consider all the evidence it has taken and publish a report of its findings with recommendations to the Government.
For more information about the inquiry, visit the Committee's inquiry page.
What is the Foreign Affairs Committee?
The Foreign Affairs Committee is a cross-party group of MPs that looks into the work of the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) and other associated public bodies, such as the British Council.
The Foreign Affairs Committee is a select committee.
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Israel and Gaza: Prime Minister questioned by Petitions Committee Chair
The Prime Minister appeared before the Liaison Committee on Tuesday 26 March. The Chair of the Petitions Committee, Cat Smith MP, questioned the Prime Minister on a number of issues relating to the situation in Israel and Gaza, including:
- implementation of a ceasefire
- licences for UK arms exports to Israel
- delivery of aid to Gaza
For more information:
- Watch the Liaison Committee session (questions from Cat Smith MP start at 13:56:16)
- Read the transcript of the Liaison Committee (questions from Cat Smith MP start at Q46)
What is the Liaison Committee?
The Liaison Committee is made up of [Select Committee][6] Chairs. It considers the overall work of select committees, promotes the questioning of the Government and chooses committee reports for debates. It questions the Prime Minister about policy, usually three times a year.
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