Antony Higginbotham has asked the Minister of State for the Middle East an Urgent Question in Parliament, joining efforts to deescalate the rising conflict that is currently unfolding in Israel-Palestine.
In recent days more than 1,000 rockets have been fired by Palestinian militants into Jerusalem and the Israeli capital of Tel Aviv. Whilst the majority of these have been destroyed by the Israeli Defence Forces before impact, a number of civilians have been killed along with an IDF solider whilst on patrol. In return Israel has destroyed several targets in Gaza, including a missile launch sites.
The rocket attacks and military activity in response follows an increase in tensions throughout the last week, particularly in East Jerusalem, where confrontations with the Police have been happening.
Speaking in the Commons Antony said:
In the last few days, I’ve been contacted by hundreds of constituents, concerned by the proposed evictions in Sheikh Jarrah, the activities outside the Al-Aqsa Mosque and the events we’ve seen in the last 36 hours.
Could the Minister reassure me, [my constituents] and the whole House, that the Government will use the full power of it’s diplomatic network to deescalate the immediate issue and then bring both sides back to peace talks - because that’s the only way that we can prevent events like this happening again.
Responding James Cleverly MP, Minister of State for the Middle East said:
The Al-Aqsa Mosque is one the holiest sites in Islam, and Jerusalem has the privilege of being the home of a number of the holiest sites in the Abrahamic religion. Therefore the policing of Jerusalem needs to be at all times sensitive - I’d say particularly so during the holy month of Ramadan.
I can assure [Antony], and others, that the UK Government will work tirelessly to bring about a resolution to this, so we no longer have to see the distressing images that we have seen in Jerusalem and other parts of Israel. And that we no longer have to hear about fatalities.
Speaking after the House of Commons debate Antony added:
I know there are people across Burnley and Padiham who have friends and relatives in Israel or Palestine, and who are worried about their safety. What we need to see now is a rapid de-escalation to ensure innocent lives are not lost, and a resumption of peace talks between the two sides so the issues that led to this can be discussed and resolved.
It was good to hear the Minister reaffirm that this remains the Government priority too, with the Foreign Secretary having spoken to his Israeli counterpart and the Palestinian Prime Minister to offer our support in resolving the conflict.
