Backbench debate on Thursday, 9 July 2026, in the House of Commons, led by Abtisam Mohamed. The answering member was Chris Bryant.

Israeli Settlements: Trade Ban

Motion that this House has considered the potential merits of a ban on trade with illegal Israeli settlements. Agreed to on question.

Secondary information

Type: Parliamentary proceeding
Reference: 789 cc536-577
Session: 2026-27
Department: Department for Business and Trade
Chamber / Committee: House of Commons chamber
Proceeding contributions: Judith Cummins | 789 c536 (Link to this contribution)
I call Abtisam Mohamed, who will speak for up to 15 minutes.
2.34 pm; Abtisam Mohamed | 789 c536 (Link to this contribution)
I beg to move,
That this House has considered the potential merits of a ban on trade with i...; Zubir Ahmed | 789 c536 (Link to this contribution)
I am grateful to my hon. Friend for making such a powerful speech; she always holds up a moral co...; Abtisam Mohamed | 789 cc536-7 (Link to this contribution)
I agree with my hon. Friend; he makes a powerful point.
Some time ago, the Palestinian amba...; Rupa Huq | 789 c537 (Link to this contribution)
My hon. Friend is making a powerful point. She points out that Conservative and Labour Government...; Abtisam Mohamed | 789 c537 (Link to this contribution)
My hon. Friend makes an excellent point.
The new bypass road, which is for Palestinians onl...; Stella Creasy | 789 c537 (Link to this contribution)
My hon. Friend is making an incredibly powerful speech. As somebody who first voted in this place...; Abtisam Mohamed | 789 cc537-8 (Link to this contribution)
I agree with my hon. Friend, and that is why it is essential that we are having this debate and t...; Andrew George | 789 c538 (Link to this contribution)
Will the hon. Lady give way?; Abtisam Mohamed | 789 c538 (Link to this contribution)
I will, and it will be my final intervention.; Andrew George | 789 c538 (Link to this contribution)
I am grateful to the hon. Lady; I did give her advance notice that because of the rescheduling of...; Abtisam Mohamed | 789 cc538-540 (Link to this contribution)
The hon. Member makes an excellent point. The first act should be that we seek to stem trade from...; Edward Leigh | 789 cc540-1 (Link to this contribution)
I congratulate the hon. Member for Sheffield Central (Abtisam Mohamed) on the tone of her speech,...; Caroline Nokes | 789 c541 (Link to this contribution)
The Father of the House got the timing bang on without my having to put a time limit on him, but ...; Harpreet Uppal | 789 c541 (Link to this contribution)
I thank my hon. Friend the Member for Sheffield Central (Abtisam Mohamed) for her powerful speech...; Meg Hillier | 789 cc541-2 (Link to this contribution)
I pay tribute to my hon. Friend the Member for Sheffield Central (Abtisam Mohamed) for laying out...; Harpreet Uppal | 789 c542 (Link to this contribution)
I agree, and I will come on to that point in a moment.
Recourse to the law has been cut off...; Anneliese Dodds | 789 c542 (Link to this contribution)
As well as the ban on trade with settlements that we are debating, does my hon. Friend agree that...; Harpreet Uppal | 789 c542 (Link to this contribution)
I agree. We must hold Israel to account for its actions, and we must end all trade with the illeg...; Adrian Ramsay | 789 c542 (Link to this contribution)
I thank the hon. Lady for her powerful speech. She talks about international law; does she agree ...; Harpreet Uppal | 789 c542 (Link to this contribution)
I do agree.
The statistics that I referred to must remain in our minds as we focus on illeg...; Chris Law | 789 cc542-3 (Link to this contribution)
In the interests of time, I will focus my speech on four key areas, having waited nearly 10 month...; Chi Onwurah | 789 c543 (Link to this contribution)
I thank the hon. Gentleman for making those points. I, too, have engaged in written parliamentary...; Chris Law | 789 c543 (Link to this contribution)
I completely agree with the hon. Member. That point could be made the other way round: if Israel ...; Torcuil Crichton | 789 c543 (Link to this contribution)
I thank the hon. Member for giving way, and I assure the Father of the House that the passion he ...; Chris Law | 789 cc543-4 (Link to this contribution)
I agree with the hon. Member, who pre-empts a point that I am about to come to. Again, the option...; Alan Gemmell | 789 c544 (Link to this contribution)
I thank the hon. Member for giving way and my hon. Friend the Member for Sheffield Central (Abtis...; Chris Law | 789 c544 (Link to this contribution)
I thank the hon. Gentleman for raising that point. I represent the city of Dundee, which is twinn...; Ann Davies | 789 c544 (Link to this contribution)
The International Court of Justice ruled two years ago that Israel must end its occupation of Pal...; Chris Law | 789 cc544-5 (Link to this contribution)
I welcome my Celtic cousin’s remarks and I agree with her. On arms sales, one suggestion would be...; Patricia Ferguson | 789 c545 (Link to this contribution)
I thank my hon. Friend the Member for Sheffield Central (Abtisam Mohamed) for securing the debate...; Vikki Slade | 789 c545 (Link to this contribution)
Having been to the west bank many years ago, I know that that is not a new thing. Does the hon. L...; Patricia Ferguson | 789 c546 (Link to this contribution)
I absolutely agree with the hon. Member. I know that there have been such examples in Gaza, too. ...; Julie Minns | 789 c546 (Link to this contribution)
My hon. Friend is setting out very clearly the illegality of the settlements on the west bank, an...; Patricia Ferguson | 789 c546 (Link to this contribution)
I absolutely share that outrage, and I will mention it later in my contribution.
We cannot ...; Kit Malthouse | 789 cc546-7 (Link to this contribution)
It is a pleasure to follow the hon. Member for Glasgow West (Patricia Ferguson), and it is always...; Clive Lewis | 789 c548 (Link to this contribution)
I thank the right hon. Member for his speech. Maybe I can answer his question. Perhaps it is beca...; Kit Malthouse | 789 c548 (Link to this contribution)
Strangely enough, I agree with the hon. Gentleman. This is probably the first time in our politic...; Chris Bryant | 789 c548 (Link to this contribution)
I have not made any argument!; Kit Malthouse | 789 c548 (Link to this contribution)
I know, but I ask the Minister not to patronise us all by standing up at the end of the debate an...; Chris Murray | 789 cc548-9 (Link to this contribution)
I thank my hon. Friend the Member for Sheffield Central (Abtisam Mohamed) for securing today’s de...; Vikki Slade | 789 c549 (Link to this contribution)
Has the hon. Member seen today’s news that the EU is now considering a trade ban, and does he hav...; Chris Murray | 789 c549 (Link to this contribution)
I completely agree with the hon. Lady. It is not just in the UK that people are recognising that ...; Ellie Chowns | 789 c550 (Link to this contribution)
I warmly thank the hon. Member for Sheffield Central (Abtisam Mohamed) for securing this much-nee...; Lewis Atkinson | 789 c550 (Link to this contribution)
The hon. Member is doing an excellent job of expressing the moral outrage shared by constituents ...; Ellie Chowns | 789 c551 (Link to this contribution)
I absolutely agree with the hon. Member. One of the other excuses we hear from the Government is ...; Caroline Nokes | 789 c551 (Link to this contribution)
I will have no choice but to reduce the time limit to four minutes after the next speaker.
...; Douglas McAllister | 789 c551 (Link to this contribution)
For my constituents in West Dunbartonshire, a community geographically far removed from Palestine...; James Naish | 789 c552 (Link to this contribution)
My hon. Friend just mentioned small acts. Last week, three of my constituents, Mike, Fiona and Ma...; Douglas McAllister | 789 c552 (Link to this contribution)
Yes, I agree entirely with my hon. Friend, who makes a very good point. I think all hon. Members ...; Gordon McKee | 789 c552 (Link to this contribution)
I want to place on record that my constituents feel as strongly as my hon. Friend’s constituents ...; Douglas McAllister | 789 cc552-3 (Link to this contribution)
I agree entirely with my hon. Friend. I am sure his point has not been lost on the Minister, and ...; Iqbal Mohamed | 789 c553 (Link to this contribution)
I thank my Yorkshire colleague the hon. Member for Sheffield Central (Abtisam Mohamed) for securi...; Adnan Hussain | 789 c553 (Link to this contribution)
Does my hon. Friend agree that any debate on Palestine is incomplete if it fails to confront the ...; Iqbal Mohamed | 789 c554 (Link to this contribution)
I thank my hon. Friend for his intervention. As a barrister, he knows, as do many across the Hous...; Jeff Smith | 789 cc554-5 (Link to this contribution)
It is not often that I agree with both the hon. Member for Dewsbury and Batley (Iqbal Mohamed) an...; Iqbal Mohamed | 789 c555 (Link to this contribution)
Does the hon. Gentleman agree that this issue is not just about products coming from settlements ...; Jeff Smith | 789 c555 (Link to this contribution)
The hon. Gentleman makes an important point and we should not overlook the role of services—it is...; Joe Morris | 789 c555 (Link to this contribution)
I thank my hon. Friend for giving way; he is making a very powerful and informed speech, as did m...; Jeff Smith | 789 c555 (Link to this contribution)
My hon. Friend is absolutely right and puts it better than I did. We can figure out how to make a...; Charlotte Cane | 789 cc555-6 (Link to this contribution)
I congratulate the Government on recognising the state of Palestine. That recognition was long ov...; Yasmin Qureshi | 789 cc556-7 (Link to this contribution)
I congratulate my hon. Friend the Member for Sheffield Central (Abtisam Mohamed) on securing this...; Jeremy Corbyn | 789 cc557-8 (Link to this contribution)
I welcome this debate and say a huge thank you to the hon. Member for Sheffield Central (Abtisam ...; 789 c558 (Link to this contribution); Caroline Nokes | 789 c558 (Link to this contribution)
Order. I will implement a three-minute time limit after the next speaker.
3.55 pm; Gareth Thomas | 789 cc558-9 (Link to this contribution)
Like others, I congratulate my hon. Friend the Member for Sheffield Central (Abtisam Mohamed) on ...; Liam Conlon | 789 c559 (Link to this contribution)
Will my hon. Friend give way?; Gareth Thomas | 789 c559 (Link to this contribution)
If my hon. Friend will forgive me, I will not, just because of time.
Britain would not be a...; Naz Shah | 789 cc559-560 (Link to this contribution)
I want to start by putting on record my thanks to my hon. Friend the Member for Sheffield Central...; Adnan Hussain | 789 c560 (Link to this contribution)
Does the hon. Member agree that the ICJ advisory opinion leaves the decision not as a political o...; Naz Shah | 789 c560 (Link to this contribution)
I thank the hon. Member for his comment. I was going to come to that in my speech, but I am havin...; Andy McDonald | 789 cc560-1 (Link to this contribution)
I congratulate my hon. Friend the Member for Sheffield Central (Abtisam Mohamed) on leading this ...; Nadia Whittome | 789 cc561-2 (Link to this contribution)
The continued expansion of illegal Israeli settlements in the occupied west bank and East Jerusal...; Melanie Ward | 789 cc562-3 (Link to this contribution)
I rise to speak in support of a UK ban on trade in goods and services from illegal Israeli settle...; Polly Billington | 789 cc563-4 (Link to this contribution)
I refer the House to my entry in the Register of Members’ Financial Interests. I am honoured to f...; Naushabah Khan | 789 c564 (Link to this contribution)
For over half a century, successive Governments of every political persuasion have affirmed to th...; Iqbal Mohamed | 789 c564 (Link to this contribution)
Will the hon. Member give way?; Naushabah Khan | 789 cc564-5 (Link to this contribution)
I will not, in the interests of time, thank you.
Nor is it only Israel’s sovereignty over o...; Kirsteen Sullivan | 789 c565 (Link to this contribution)
I congratulate my hon. Friend the Member for Sheffield Central (Abtisam Mohamed) not just on the ...; John McDonnell | 789 cc565-6 (Link to this contribution)
I think the Minister has got the message—[Laughter.] No, I am being serious. We cannot go on like...; Alex Sobel | 789 cc566-7 (Link to this contribution)
I refer the House to my entry in the Register of Members’ Financial Interests with regard to my v...; Elsie Blundell | 789 cc567-8 (Link to this contribution)
Many people across the country will be watching the debate with real interest. I welcome the thou...; Apsana Begum | 789 c568 (Link to this contribution)
One year ago this month, Awdah Hathaleen, a resident of Umm al-Khair, who was a consultant on Osc...; Caroline Nokes | 789 c568 (Link to this contribution)
We now come to the Front-Bench contributions. I call the Liberal Democrat spokesperson.
4.3...; Charlie Maynard | 789 cc568-9 (Link to this contribution)
I thank the hon. Member for Sheffield Central (Abtisam Mohamed) for bringing such an important de...; Caroline Nokes | 789 c570 (Link to this contribution)
I call the shadow Minister.
4.35 pm; Gareth Davies | 789 c570 (Link to this contribution)
I thank Members from across the House for their contributions today, and I congratulate the hon. ...; Yasmin Qureshi | 789 c570 (Link to this contribution)
The shadow Minister says that the Israeli Government should stop these settlements, but as he kno...; Gareth Davies | 789 c570 (Link to this contribution)
I am very grateful for the hon. Lady’s intervention. I will address the point that she raises lat...; Melanie Ward | 789 c571 (Link to this contribution)
The shadow Minister has been talking about the views of our allies in the region. I wonder when h...; Gareth Davies | 789 c571 (Link to this contribution)
The hon. Lady is wrong to suggest that we are saying we should do nothing. If Members remember, i...; Peter Swallow | 789 c571 (Link to this contribution)
The shadow Minister says that Israel is a critical ally. Is it not possible ever to be critical o...; Gareth Davies | 789 c571 (Link to this contribution)
We can be critical of our allies and we can be critical friends—of course we can—but what I am sa...; 789 c571 (Link to this contribution); Gareth Davies | 789 c571 (Link to this contribution)
I will make a little progress in the interests of time, because I know that Members will want to ...; Melanie Ward | 789 c571 (Link to this contribution)
Will the shadow Minister give way?; Gareth Davies | 789 cc571-2 (Link to this contribution)
Not right now, and I have already taken an intervention from the hon. Lady.
Finally, and mo...; Chris Bryant | 789 c572 (Link to this contribution)
First, I congratulate my hon. Friend the Member for Sheffield Central (Abtisam Mohamed), who has ...; Andy Slaughter | 789 c573 (Link to this contribution)
Will the Minister give way?; Chris Bryant | 789 cc573-4 (Link to this contribution)
I will in a moment.
The violence is criminal too. We are grossly alarmed at the expansion, ...; Andy McDonald | 789 c574 (Link to this contribution)
If that is a problem and we want to implement the ban, the issue of distinguishing the goods is I...; Chris Bryant | 789 c574 (Link to this contribution)
My hon. Friend makes a perfectly legitimate point, but the danger is that, if we end up banning a...; Polly Billington | 789 c574 (Link to this contribution)
Will the Minister give way?; Chris Bryant | 789 c574 (Link to this contribution)
If my hon. Friend does not mind, I will make a little bit more progress, and then I will give way...; Andy Slaughter | 789 c574 (Link to this contribution)
I really do appreciate the steps the Government have taken. I particularly appreciate the recogni...; Chris Bryant | 789 c574 (Link to this contribution)
I think my hon. Friend must have misheard, or maybe I misspoke in some way, because I am saying v...; Matt Western | 789 c574 (Link to this contribution)
Will the Minister give way?; Chris Bryant | 789 c575 (Link to this contribution)
I will just go through the third and fourth points, because they are important.
The third t...; Matt Western | 789 c575 (Link to this contribution)
Will my hon. Friend give way?; Chris Bryant | 789 c575 (Link to this contribution)
Just one more moment, and I then I think my hon. Friend the Member for East Thanet (Ms Billington...; Chris Murray | 789 c575 (Link to this contribution)
What does “actively considering” mean? Is there anything active about it? Can the Minister refer ...; Chris Bryant | 789 c575 (Link to this contribution)
Yes, I have asked officials to produce advice on how we might proceed.; Kit Malthouse | 789 c575 (Link to this contribution)
By when?; Chris Bryant | 789 c575 (Link to this contribution)
The right hon. Gentleman asks, from a sedentary position, by when? I think my timeline may be rat...; Matt Western | 789 c575 (Link to this contribution)
Will the Minister give way?; Chris Bryant | 789 cc575-6 (Link to this contribution)
If my hon. Friend does not mind, I do want to leave some time for my hon. Friend the Member for S...; Matt Western | 789 c576 (Link to this contribution)
I thank my hon. Friend, while he is still in post. Very briefly, he will be aware of the mockery ...; Chris Bryant | 789 c576 (Link to this contribution)
I will write to my hon. Friend in answer to that point, as I am very keen to let my hon. Friend t...; Abtisam Mohamed | 789 c576 (Link to this contribution)
I will be as brief as possible, Madam Deputy Speaker.
I thank everybody for their excellent...; Tom Gordon | 789 c577 (Link to this contribution)
On a point of order, Madam Deputy Speaker. Last Friday, a number of Conservative MPs visited my c...; Caroline Nokes | 789 c577 (Link to this contribution)
I thank the hon. Member for giving notice of his point of order, and for informing the right hon....; Adam Jogee | 789 c577 (Link to this contribution)
On a point of order, Madam Deputy Speaker. Earlier today, constituents from Newcastle-under-Lyme ...; Caroline Nokes | 789 c577 (Link to this contribution)
I thank the hon. Member for his point of order. Let us not dwell on the secrets of the barmen. Ho...; 789 c577 (Link to this contribution)
Hear, hear!
Subjects: Gaza Occupied territories Palestine West Bank Trade Violence Sanctions Humanitarian situation Israeli settlements
Link: View this Parliamentary proceeding on hansard.parliament.uk

Israeli Settlements: Trade Ban

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