Ministerial statement on Monday, 1 September 2025, in the House of Commons, led by David Lammy.

Middle East

Statement on the Occupied Palestinian Territories and Iran.

Secondary information

Type: Parliamentary proceeding
Reference: 772 cc60-91
Session: 2024-26
Department: Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office
Chamber / Committee: House of Commons chamber
Related items: Israel: Palestinians
Wednesday, 17 September 2025
Written questions
House of Commons; Gaza: Humanitarian Aid
Wednesday, 17 September 2025
Written questions
House of Commons; Gaza: Humanitarian Situation
Wednesday, 17 September 2025
Written questions
House of Commons; Gaza: Humanitarian Aid
Wednesday, 17 September 2025
Written questions
House of Commons; Gaza: Food Aid
Wednesday, 17 September 2025
Written questions
House of Commons; Gaza
Wednesday, 17 September 2025
Written questions
House of Commons; Gaza
Wednesday, 17 September 2025
Written questions
House of Commons; Gaza: Health Services
Friday, 3 October 2025
Written questions
House of Commons
Proceeding contributions: David Lammy | 772 cc60-2 (Link to this contribution)
With permission, Madam Deputy Speaker, I shall make a statement on the situation in the Occupied ...; Judith Cummins | 772 c62 (Link to this contribution)
I call the shadow Foreign Secretary, who can speak for up to six and a half minutes.
6.9 pm...; Priti Patel | 772 cc62-4 (Link to this contribution)
I thank the Foreign Secretary for advance sight of his statement. Let me also express my sympathy...; David Lammy | 772 cc64-5 (Link to this contribution)
I am grateful to the shadow Foreign Secretary for the tone of her remarks. I am pleased that she ...; Judith Cummins | 772 c65 (Link to this contribution)
I call the Chair of the Foreign Affairs Committee.; Emily Thornberry | 772 c65 (Link to this contribution)
I read with alarm yesterday’s report in The Washington Post detailing a plan for the future of Ga...; David Lammy | 772 c66 (Link to this contribution)
I am very grateful to my right hon. Friend —my dear friend—for her remarks, and I commend the wor...; Judith Cummins | 772 c66 (Link to this contribution)
I call the Liberal Democrat spokesperson, who has up to three minutes for his remarks.; Calum Miller | 772 cc66-7 (Link to this contribution)
I thank the Foreign Secretary for advance sight of his statement. I welcome the robust approach o...; David Lammy | 772 c67 (Link to this contribution)
I am grateful to the hon. Gentleman for his remarks, particularly on Iran. He is absolutely right...; Abtisam Mohamed | 772 c67 (Link to this contribution)
I welcome the Foreign Secretary’s statement on Palestinian statehood and the additional aid annou...; David Lammy | 772 c67 (Link to this contribution)
I say to my hon. Friend that we continue to do all we can to bring the horrific suffering in this...; Nusrat Ghani | 772 c68 (Link to this contribution)
I call Rishi Sunak.; Rishi Sunak | 772 c68 (Link to this contribution)
Thank you, Madam Deputy Speaker, and I know that the whole House will want to join me in wishing ...; David Lammy | 772 c68 (Link to this contribution)
I am grateful to the former Prime Minister for his work on the Iran file and for the cross-party ...; Uma Kumaran | 772 c68 (Link to this contribution)
The International Association of Genocide Scholars has passed a resolution stating that
“Is...; David Lammy | 772 c68 (Link to this contribution)
I am grateful to my hon. Friend for recognising that that must rightly be a matter for lawyers, b...; John Whittingdale | 772 c69 (Link to this contribution)
Further to the answer the Foreign Secretary has just given, does he share my horror that, among t...; David Lammy | 772 c69 (Link to this contribution)
I associate myself entirely with the right hon. Gentleman’s remarks. It is not only unacceptable;...; James Naish | 772 c69 (Link to this contribution)
Attempts to settle the E1 area of the west bank, splitting Palestinian areas in two,
“burie...; David Lammy | 772 c69 (Link to this contribution)
Yes, yes, yes. I have spent time in Bedouin villages that would be entirely gone as a result of t...; Richard Foord | 772 c69 (Link to this contribution)
In May the Government revealed in court that they, the Executive, had made recent assessments of ...; David Lammy | 772 c69 (Link to this contribution)
It is axiomatic that the hon. Gentleman is wrong. I made an assessment back in September that the...; Louise Sandher-Jones | 772 c69 (Link to this contribution)
The famine in Gaza is clearly man-made and it is abominable. That tens of thousands of civilians ...; David Lammy | 772 c70 (Link to this contribution)
I want to associate myself with the remarks of my hon. Friend, and I congratulate her on her rece...; Desmond Swayne | 772 c70 (Link to this contribution)
What action will His Majesty’s Government take if the Government of Israel proceed with their pla...; David Lammy | 772 c70 (Link to this contribution)
I am not going to get ahead of my skis. We continue to work with partners internationally on maki...; Claire Hanna | 772 c70 (Link to this contribution)
Last month, along with eight party leaders across Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales, I wrote t...; David Lammy | 772 c70 (Link to this contribution)
Can I just be clear? There is a lot of mendacity in some of the sort of stuff we see on TikTok. W...; Edward Morello | 772 c70 (Link to this contribution)
The Foreign Secretary, in his statement, outlined all the steps that this Government have taken a...; David Lammy | 772 c71 (Link to this contribution)
Diplomacy is failing until it succeeds, so I am not going to give in to the hon. Gentleman’s pess...; Jon Pearce | 772 c71 (Link to this contribution)
I welcome the Government’s decision to trigger the snapback mechanism to address the Iranian regi...; David Lammy | 772 c71 (Link to this contribution)
I am very grateful to my hon. Friend for raising that question. He will know that, alongside the ...; Stephen Flynn | 772 c71 (Link to this contribution)
The Foreign Secretary has just said:
“On the ground, it is unimaginably bleak. Horrifying i...; David Lammy | 772 c71 (Link to this contribution)
I do not know whether the right hon. Gentleman is legally qualified, but there are many lawyers w...; Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi | 772 c71 (Link to this contribution)
Happy birthday, Madam Deputy Speaker.
Benjamin Netanyahu’s blockade and weaponisation of st...; David Lammy | 772 c71 (Link to this contribution)
I reassure my hon. Friend that the good news is that the aid we have supported is getting in. Pri...; Kit Malthouse | 772 c72 (Link to this contribution)
I am afraid that this is another profoundly disappointing statement from the Foreign Secretary th...; David Lammy | 772 c72 (Link to this contribution)
It is just wrong to say that the Government have been passive in relation to the ICC. We fund the...; Melanie Ward | 772 c72 (Link to this contribution)
The Foreign Secretary will be aware that increasing numbers of human rights experts and genocide ...; David Lammy | 772 c72 (Link to this contribution)
My hon. Friend is right. It is unacceptable to restrict the ability of aid workers to go about th...; Oliver Dowden | 772 c72 (Link to this contribution)
I despair at many aspects of the conduct of the Netanyahu Government and the suffering of Gazan c...; David Lammy | 772 c73 (Link to this contribution)
I will be crystal clear for the right hon. Gentleman. Hamas are a proscribed terrorist organisati...; Paul Waugh | 772 c73 (Link to this contribution)
I welcome the Government’s intention to recognise formally the state of Palestine at the UN later...; David Lammy | 772 c73 (Link to this contribution)
I cannot comment on sanctions from the Dispatch Box. I know that my hon. Friend has long campaign...; Tim Farron | 772 c73 (Link to this contribution)
This should not really be difficult. We can, as I do, passionately support Israel’s right to exis...; David Lammy | 772 c73 (Link to this contribution)
I hear the strength of passion from the hon. Gentleman, but I urge him to look closely at our san...; Nusrat Ghani | 772 c73 (Link to this contribution)
Order. I know this is a very sensitive subject, but I urge colleagues to keep their questions sho...; Dawn Butler | 772 c74 (Link to this contribution)
I thank the Foreign Secretary for his statement today. Israel’s decision to escalate operations i...; David Lammy | 772 c74 (Link to this contribution)
I reassure my hon. Friend that we are not at risk—we are not complicit. I am a former lawyer, and...; Andrew Murrison | 772 c74 (Link to this contribution)
Happy birthday, Madam Deputy Speaker.
The law of armed conflict is hardwired into the behav...; David Lammy | 772 c74 (Link to this contribution)
The right hon. Gentleman put his opening remarks very well, and I would accord with them. We need...; Yuan Yang | 772 c74 (Link to this contribution)
I strongly welcome the Foreign Secretary’s historic move to recognise the state of Palestine and ...; David Lammy | 772 c75 (Link to this contribution)
I am very grateful to journalists and media workers, who play an essential role in putting the sp...; Ellie Chowns | 772 c75 (Link to this contribution)
The Israeli Government are clearly hellbent on their horrific plan of eradicating Palestine with ...; David Lammy | 772 c75 (Link to this contribution)
I say to the hon. Lady that we banned arms sales that could be used in Israel back in September; ...; Andrew Pakes | 772 c75 (Link to this contribution)
Starting on a positive note, I thank the Foreign Secretary and the Minister for the Middle East f...; David Lammy | 772 c75 (Link to this contribution)
I am grateful to my hon. Friend for his question and the way that he is standing up for the peopl...; Julian Lewis | 772 c76 (Link to this contribution)
Like the Secretary of State, I have supported a two-state solution for very many years, but there...; David Lammy | 772 c76 (Link to this contribution)
I remind the right hon. Gentleman of the letter that President Abbas wrote to President Macron, w...; Meg Hillier | 772 c76 (Link to this contribution)
The Foreign Secretary said that diplomacy fails until it succeeds. We have talked often in this H...; David Lammy | 772 c76 (Link to this contribution)
My hon. Friend will understand that the Israeli Government have set themselves against some of th...; Jeremy Corbyn | 772 c76 (Link to this contribution)
The Foreign Secretary chose very carefully his words about arms supplies that could be used in Ga...; David Lammy | 772 c76 (Link to this contribution)
I say to the right hon. Gentleman, who has considerable experience, that it is my job to make sur...; David Burton-Sampson | 772 c77 (Link to this contribution)
I thank the Foreign Secretary for his statement and his work on this very important matter. Over ...; David Lammy | 772 c77 (Link to this contribution)
The answer is, very simply, yes. I am of Christian faith, like my hon. Friend’s Baptist constitue...; Martin Vickers | 772 c77 (Link to this contribution)
I welcome the anticipated recognition of Palestine, expected later this month. Of itself it will ...; David Lammy | 772 c77 (Link to this contribution)
I assure the hon. Member that I have made those representations to the Israeli Government, and so...; Alex Sobel | 772 c77 (Link to this contribution)
I have been talking about starvation in Gaza for the last 18 months, and now it is officially rec...; David Lammy | 772 c77 (Link to this contribution)
I am grateful, as I am sure the whole House is, for the update on that situation. I will not comm...; Alistair Carmichael | 772 c78 (Link to this contribution)
Is the Foreign Secretary aware of the concerns expressed by his noble Friend Lord Hain about the ...; David Lammy | 772 c78 (Link to this contribution)
I reassure the right hon. Gentleman that this is an open procurement. No decisions have been made...; Stella Creasy | 772 c78 (Link to this contribution)
I think we all hear the frustration of the Foreign Secretary. He is leading in a way that other n...; Nusrat Ghani | 772 c78 (Link to this contribution)
Order. Lengthy questions just deny other colleagues the opportunity to speak.; David Lammy | 772 c78 (Link to this contribution)
I reassure my hon. Friend that we are working with our European counterparts. When I speak to Kaj...; David Mundell | 772 c79 (Link to this contribution)
Will the Foreign Secretary confirm that he specifically raised delivery of aid in his discussions...; David Lammy | 772 c79 (Link to this contribution)
I recognise the experience that the right hon. Gentleman brings to the Chamber. He will have hear...; Rachel Hopkins | 772 c79 (Link to this contribution)
I thank the Foreign Secretary for his statement and for the reminder of the actions that the Gove...; David Lammy | 772 c79 (Link to this contribution)
Yes, I do—100%.; Steve Darling | 772 c79 (Link to this contribution)
The war in Gaza is horrific on a number of different levels. I would like to focus on one particu...; David Lammy | 772 c79 (Link to this contribution)
I ask the hon. Gentleman to look in detail at export licences and how they work. As I have said, ...; Liam Conlon | 772 c79 (Link to this contribution)
I welcome the Foreign Secretary’s announcements, in particular on support to get critically ill c...; David Lammy | 772 c79 (Link to this contribution)
The plans deliberately attempt to thwart a two-state solution: they effectively split the land an...; Ben Spencer | 772 c80 (Link to this contribution)
I am deeply concerned by the misery, suffering and death in Gaza. I thank the Foreign Secretary f...; David Lammy | 772 c80 (Link to this contribution)
I urge the hon. Gentleman to keep up to date with the latest. He will have seen that there have b...; Emily Darlington | 772 c80 (Link to this contribution)
Happy birthday, Madam Deputy Speaker. I welcome the Foreign Secretary’s comments about recognitio...; David Lammy | 772 c80 (Link to this contribution)
It was humbling to meet once more a group of doctors in New York who have served on the ground an...; Chris Law | 772 c80 (Link to this contribution)
This morning, the Scottish Labour leader told a press conference in Glasgow:
“there is a ge...; David Lammy | 772 c80 (Link to this contribution)
I have a list of statements that have been made by Yair Lapid, by the leader of the Democrats, Ya...; Clive Efford | 772 c80 (Link to this contribution)
I have known my right hon. Friend for more than 25 years, and I know that if he was up here on th...; David Lammy | 772 c81 (Link to this contribution)
I am grateful to my dear friend for what he has said. He knows that this is extremely frustrating...; John Cooper | 772 c81 (Link to this contribution)
Many happy returns, Madam Deputy Speaker. The Druze in Syria are suffering nothing short of atroc...; David Lammy | 772 c81 (Link to this contribution)
The Under-Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, my hon. Friend th...; Andy McDonald | 772 c81 (Link to this contribution)
I thank my right hon. Friend for making it clear that this country has historic responsibilities ...; David Lammy | 772 c81 (Link to this contribution)
Can I be very clear to my hon. Friend that Israel does not have a veto on our decision to recogni...; Vikki Slade | 772 c81 (Link to this contribution)
Back in May, I raised concerns about exemptions for licences for components that were going out t...; David Lammy | 772 c81 (Link to this contribution)
Absolutely; I will take that up.; Rupa Huq | 772 c82 (Link to this contribution)
It is truly momentous that this Government look set to put long-standing UK policy into practice ...; David Lammy | 772 c82 (Link to this contribution)
I disagree with that last part. I simply refer my hon. Friend to what I have said. She will strug...; Claire Young | 772 c82 (Link to this contribution)
I know that the hundreds of constituents who have contacted me calling for action to end the hear...; David Lammy | 772 c82 (Link to this contribution)
I make no apology for trying to affect behaviour on the ground as we head to the UN General Assem...; Johanna Baxter | 772 c82 (Link to this contribution)
Can I start by welcoming the announcement of the additional aid and medical care for Gaza that ha...; David Lammy | 772 c82 (Link to this contribution)
It would be a breach of international humanitarian law, so we will keep working with our partners...; Adnan Hussain | 772 c82 (Link to this contribution)
The Foreign Secretary asks what more this Government can do to ensure that the genocide in Gaza i...; David Lammy | 772 c83 (Link to this contribution)
I think I agree with everything that the hon. Gentleman has said, and that is what we are attempt...; Warinder Juss | 772 c83 (Link to this contribution)
Instead of taking substantive steps to end the appalling situation in Gaza and agreeing to an imm...; David Lammy | 772 c83 (Link to this contribution)
As I have said, I have spoken to Secretary of State Rubio, Envoy Steve Witkoff and Vice-President...; Ann Davies | 772 c83 (Link to this contribution)
Data from the Israeli military shows that 83% of people killed in Gaza since October 2023 have be...; David Lammy | 772 c83 (Link to this contribution)
Over 63,000 people have now lost their lives and well over 100,000 are injured as a result of thi...; Peter Prinsley | 772 c83 (Link to this contribution)
Professor Oz-Salzberger described a
“battle for the soul of Israel”
in the Financial ...; David Lammy | 772 c83 (Link to this contribution)
I am hugely grateful to my hon. Friend for bringing to mind the many Israelis marching and expres...; Martin Wrigley | 772 c83 (Link to this contribution)
The United Nations described the famine in Gaza as a
“deliberate collapse of the systems ne...; David Lammy | 772 c84 (Link to this contribution)
I would refer to the remarks I have made before at this Dispatch Box. I recognise what is being s...; Debbie Abrahams | 772 c84 (Link to this contribution)
I thank my right hon. Friend for his statement and the extensive work that he, his team and his o...; David Lammy | 772 c84 (Link to this contribution)
I do think we need further dialogue on the issue of Palestinian attendance at that meeting. I rec...; Caroline Voaden | 772 c84 (Link to this contribution)
We have a UN-declared man-made famine, children and babies being starved to death, and journalist...; David Lammy | 772 c84 (Link to this contribution)
The whole House will have heard what the hon. Member said, and she will have heard what I have sa...; Patricia Ferguson | 772 c85 (Link to this contribution)
I thank the Foreign Secretary very much for the action taken by him and his colleagues to enable ...; David Lammy | 772 c85 (Link to this contribution)
I thank my hon. Friend for what she says in relation to children. Of course, there are not just t...; Iqbal Mohamed | 772 c85 (Link to this contribution)
The Foreign Secretary said that
“we can and must be precise with our language”.
I sta...; David Lammy | 772 c85 (Link to this contribution)
I do think it is important that the hon. Gentleman, notwithstanding his strength of feeling, reco...; John Slinger | 772 c85 (Link to this contribution)
Does my right hon. Friend agree that, now more than ever, the will of the international community...; David Lammy | 772 c86 (Link to this contribution)
No conflicts are the same. That region has had numerous conflicts over the years. What we have se...; Andrew George | 772 c86 (Link to this contribution)
We often get distracted by the semantics and jurisprudence of terms such as “genocide” and “ethni...; David Lammy | 772 c86 (Link to this contribution)
On the last three points, yes.; Apsana Begum | 772 c86 (Link to this contribution)
It is simply not enough at this stage to repeat the line about reminding Israel that internationa...; David Lammy | 772 c86 (Link to this contribution)
I am grateful to the hon. Lady, but as I have said, we are not supplying arms to Israel—that deci...; Ayoub Khan | 772 c86 (Link to this contribution)
Despite all the protestations that we have heard from the Dispatch Box, by the Foreign Secretary,...; David Lammy | 772 c87 (Link to this contribution)
I set out my statement very clearly at the UN. The Prime Minister set out his statement at No. 10...; Clive Betts | 772 c87 (Link to this contribution)
I very much welcome the commitment to recognising the Palestinian state. Some of us have fought f...; David Lammy | 772 c87 (Link to this contribution)
My hon. Friend brings considerable experience to the Chamber and to these issues. Of course, as h...; Clive Jones | 772 c87 (Link to this contribution)
My hon. Friend the Member for Bicester and Woodstock (Calum Miller) was right to ask the Foreign ...; David Lammy | 772 c87 (Link to this contribution)
I think that the British people are wise and deeply concerned about what they see, but I also thi...; Helen Hayes | 772 c88 (Link to this contribution)
I welcome the commitment to recognising the Palestinian state later this month. That is an essent...; David Lammy | 772 c88 (Link to this contribution)
I am grateful to my hon. Friend for continuing to press those issues over so many months on behal...; 772 c88 (Link to this contribution); Nusrat Ghani | 772 c88 (Link to this contribution)
Order. The statement will conclude at 8 pm because we also have a statement on Ukraine. Colleague...; Chris Coghlan | 772 c88 (Link to this contribution)
In hearing from the Foreign Secretary that 132,000 children are at risk of dying from hunger, one...; David Lammy | 772 c88 (Link to this contribution)
I remind the hon. Gentleman that it was me and this Labour Government who signed a memorandum of ...; Josh Fenton-Glynn | 772 c88 (Link to this contribution)
Almost 1,500 healthcare workers have been killed, according to Médecins Sans Frontières, and more...; David Lammy | 772 c88 (Link to this contribution)
In the interests of time, I simply refer my hon. Friend to the statements that I have already mad...; Jim Shannon | 772 c89 (Link to this contribution)
I thank the Secretary of State for his clear commitment to delivering help and assistance and to ...; David Lammy | 772 c89 (Link to this contribution)
The hon. Gentleman is right: the return of those hostages would see this war come to an end tomor...; Alison Hume | 772 c89 (Link to this contribution)
I thank my right hon. Friend for his urgent work to evacuate and treat seriously injured and crit...; David Lammy | 772 c89 (Link to this contribution)
It is always women and girls who are the face of pain and suffering in conflict and the most desp...; John Grady | 772 c89 (Link to this contribution)
I explain to my constituents every week how hard the Foreign Secretary and his ministerial team a...; David Lammy | 772 c89 (Link to this contribution)
The International Criminal Court is a fundamental part of the architecture that was set up after ...; Harpreet Uppal | 772 c89 (Link to this contribution)
We may be recognising a Palestinian state at the United Nations General Assembly, but violence in...; David Lammy | 772 c89 (Link to this contribution)
That is a decision that I am discussing with the Palestinian Authority. Also, I will be in the re...; Richard Burgon | 772 c90 (Link to this contribution)
Today, the world’s leading genocide scholars declared genocide in Gaza. Earlier this summer, fami...; David Lammy | 772 c90 (Link to this contribution)
My hon. Friend is a lawyer, so when he says that, I would ask him to point to a nation that does ...; Luke Murphy | 772 c90 (Link to this contribution)
I welcome the Foreign Secretary’s statement and the actions that the Government have taken alread...; David Lammy | 772 c90 (Link to this contribution)
Yes, I give my hon. Friend that assurance.; Deirdre Costigan | 772 c90 (Link to this contribution)
In recent months alone more than 1,000 of my constituents have contacted me about the brutal conf...; David Lammy | 772 c90 (Link to this contribution)
I am very grateful to my hon. Friend. We believe passionately in a two-state solution and in keep...; Torcuil Crichton | 772 c90 (Link to this contribution)
I thank the Foreign Secretary for his statement and for his stamina over the past two hours. I as...; David Lammy | 772 c90 (Link to this contribution)
I am grateful to my hon. Friend. I recognise what is being said by international scholars around ...; 772 c91 (Link to this contribution); Nusrat Ghani | 772 c91 (Link to this contribution)
Order. I have tried to go as fast as I can, and I apologise to all the colleagues who are disappo...; Tom Hayes | 772 c91 (Link to this contribution)
What happened on 7 October was inhumane: Hamas are terrorists and the hostages must be returned i...; David Lammy | 772 c91 (Link to this contribution)
Madam Deputy Speaker, I too am sorry that other colleagues who wanted to ask questions were unabl...; Nusrat Ghani | 772 c91 (Link to this contribution)
That is the end of the statement on the middle east.; Kit Malthouse | 772 c91 (Link to this contribution)
On a point of order, Madam Deputy Speaker. On 22 April, I wrote to the Foreign Secretary and the ...; Nusrat Ghani | 772 c91 (Link to this contribution)
I thank the right hon. Member for giving notice of his point of order. This is not a matter for t...
Subjects: Contracts Armed conflict Arms trade China Humanitarian aid Export controls Genocide International Criminal Court International humanitarian law Journalism Hostage taking Nuclear weapons Proscribed organisations Procurement Peace negotiations Gaza Israel Palestine Iran West Bank Syria Hamas USA UN resolutions Sanctions Russia Famine Recognition of states Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Israeli settlements Ceasefires RAF Akrotiri Elbit Systems UK Houthis
Link: View this Parliamentary proceeding on hansard.parliament.uk

Middle East

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