The Israeli-Palestinian conflict

The situation in Gaza and the West Bank is intolerable. Ministers and diplomats should exert every effort to reach an immediate end to the fighting, population displacement and restrictions on supplies of essentials. The Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) system has led to the unnecessary deaths of hundreds of civilians and a fraction of the required aid arriving into Gaza. It must be replaced by a UN-led system operating on humanitarian principles. (Conclusion, Paragraph 16)

The UK Government must redouble its efforts to bring about a ceasefire in Gaza—with the release of all hostages—and an end to military activity in the West Bank. It should use its influence with the US administration to encourage the US to put effective pressure on Israel and Hamas. At the same time, the Government must insist that Israel opens all crossing points without restriction to food, medical, shelter materials and other aid inflows to Gaza, and immediately dismantles the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, its aid sites and its activities in Gaza, and reinstate a massively increased supply of aid through humanitarian channels established and led by a UN system. The Government should support a medical evacuation of critically injured children to the UK, including the provision of safe transport and the efficient handling of travel permits and entry visas. (Recommendation, Paragraph 17)

The Government must repeat its call for the immediate and unconditional release of all the hostages and the bodies of those who have died in captivity. The taking, holding in captivity, torture, sexual abuse and murder of hostages is despicable and every effort should be made for the release of all the hostages. At the same time, the Government should support relevant international agencies in collecting and retaining information on all those organisations and individuals involved in hostage-taking, in preparation for future criminal proceedings. (Recommendation, Paragraph 20) 51

The Government should agree and publish a definition of arbitrary detention. In response to this report, the Foreign Secretary must outline his plans and set a firm timeline to establish an Envoy for Arbitrary Detention, which he has already promised to this Committee. He should publish the objectives for the postholder, so that the Committee can scrutinise the success or otherwise of the appointment. (Recommendation, Paragraph 30)

The Israeli Government’s refusal to allow media access to Gaza to report on the war is a breach of internationally recognised norms. Journalists’ work will be crucial as an informational basis for any long-term findings regarding the legality of the conduct of the war. (Conclusion, Paragraph 32)

The Committee condemns the killing of over 186 Palestinian journalists in Gaza and reiterates that Israel has a responsibility not to target journalists, who are protected under international law. While Israel has suggested that many of these may have been Hamas supporters, reporters from a wide range of reputable news organisations including Reuters, AFP and the BBC, have been denied entry into Gaza. Reporters Without Borders and over 200 press freedom advocacy groups have called for foreign journalists be granted immediate, independent and unrestricted access to the Gaza Strip. Ministers and diplomats must press their Israeli counterparts to restore access for journalists to report from Gaza, the West Bank and Israel, and lift the ban on media outlets that the Israeli Government does not agree with. (Recommendation, Paragraph 33) A Palestinian State

The Committee agrees with the position taken by successive UK Governments, that the two-state solution is the only possible positive outcome in this conflict. The UK, along with France—the co-signatory of the 1916 Sykes-Picot Agreement—should now recognise the state of Palestine while there is still a state to recognise. An inalienable right should not be made conditional. The Government cannot continue to wait for the perfect time because experience shows that there will never be a perfect time, and in hindsight it is possible to see times when it should have occurred. (Recommendation, Paragraph 49)186 186 Recommendation 7 was not unanimously agreed by the Committee - see Formal Minutes 52 Sanctions, Trade, Settlements and Occupation

The Government decision to licence the sale of F-35 components to Israel has been subject to ongoing dispute and difference of opinion amongst the UK public and politicians. The Committee recognises the real threat to Israel from Iran and its proxies who are on record as wishing to destroy the Israeli state. We therefore reaffirm the right of Israel to defend itself. (Conclusion, Paragraph 59)

Even if the Government’s decision to licence the sale of F-35 components is lawful under domestic law, the decision of whether to do so is still a political one. The Government’s decision has been taken on the basis that suspending the licences would disrupt the global F-35 supply pool with implications for international peace and security. (Conclusion, Paragraph 60)

The Government should set out how allowing indirect exports of F-35 components to the global supply pool, despite the clear risk of violations of International Humanitarian Law which has been identified, is consistent with the UK’s international obligations, given that the existence of such “clear risk” is one of its own criteria for determining compliance with these obligations. (Recommendation, Paragraph 61)

The Government has halted trade talks with Israel and further progress on the 2030 Roadmap and we expect that to continue until an internationally- recognised peace settlement has been agreed. (Conclusion, Paragraph 64)

A different approach should be applied to the Israeli settlements in the West Bank and East Jerusalem; the Government should take immediate steps to prepare a comprehensive ban on the import of goods from the illegal settlements in the West Bank, with reference to the UN database of businesses substantially and materially involved in settlement-related business activity. (Recommendation, Paragraph 65)

The Committee welcomes the sanctions that the Government has imposed on illegal outposts and violent Israeli settlers in the West Bank. Until these settlements are curtailed and the violence ends, these sanctions should be sustained and extended to all businesses operating in Israeli settlements in the West Bank. The Committee welcomes the sanctioning of companies and organisations that have facilitated the building of settlements and the Government should extend this to further companies and organisations who do such work. The Government must set out in its response to this Report the concrete action it is taking as a result of the International Court of Justice’s Advisory Opinion which was delivered over a year ago. (Recommendation, Paragraph 77) 53 The day after–and the weeks/months after that

While the UK is no longer a dominant power in the Middle East, it does enjoy the respect of most countries in the region. Consequently, it is well placed to deploy its convening power to bring together conflicting and diverse parties. The involvement of states in the region that have reached peace agreements with Israel after years of animosity, or are moving towards normalised relations with Israel, is vital. (Conclusion, Paragraph 83)

The Government should encourage other countries to normalise relations in order to participate in a peace process for a two-state solution. (Recommendation, Paragraph 84)

The UK needs to kickstart urgently the process of preparing the ground for negotiation of a long-term two-state resolution to the conflict, without waiting for a ceasefire. In doing this, it must act more boldly and bravely to leverage the UK’s long history of involvement with and understanding of the region—along with its specialist expertise in science, technology and diplomacy—to bring Israel, the Palestinians and the other countries together. The UK should take the initiative in organising meetings, and also insist on having a seat at the table in processes, like the France-Saudi Arabia conference on the two-state solution, that have been initiated by others. (Recommendation, Paragraph 85)

The UK should invest in grassroots peacebuilding and conflict resolution efforts in Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territories through its diplomatic network and specialist Non-Governmental Organisations, building on our experience in Northern Ireland. The Committee welcomes the Prime Minister’s plans for a proposed International Fund for Israeli- Palestinian Peace and seeks an update on when this will be established. (Recommendation, Paragraph 96)

The UK Government should stress the importance of the participation of women-led and women’s rights organisations in any peace negotiations and peacebuilding structures, and should lead by example by including such groups in all events in which it participates. (Recommendation, Paragraph 97)

The Committee is very concerned about the impact of proposed anti-Non- Governmental Organisations legislation in the Knesset that would impose an 80% tax on foreign donations to Israeli and Palestinian Non-Governmental Organisations. Such a tax would be tantamount to blocking these Non- Governmental Organisations from carrying out grassroots peacebuilding 54 in Israel and the Occupied Palestinians Territories. The Government should lobby determinedly against this bill that acts against long term efforts to sustain peace. (Recommendation, Paragraph 98)

A key component of the UK’s policy in support of a two-state solution must be participation in the reconstruction of Gaza and areas of the West Bank that have been rendered uninhabitable by military action. Institution building requires physical infrastructure as well as investment in human capital, especially education and healthcare. However, major funders in the region like Saudi Arabia are not willing to make large outlays for this until there is a secure peace, and securing peace will have to include a pathway to a Palestinian state, as no other proposal for a long-term peace is realistic. The Government should participate in the multilateral peace process, using the UK expertise in areas like peacebuilding and governance, and including supporting UN agencies’ work on education and healthcare, while encouraging others to begin discussions on reconstruction as this gives hope for the future in Gaza and the West Bank. (Recommendation, Paragraph 101)

As institution-building is an area where the UK has expertise, the Government should support the Palestinian Authority to build its capacity, which would be in the best interests of both the Palestinian people and foreign donors. (Recommendation, Paragraph 107)

This Committee did not inquire directly into the role of UNRWA, and as such does not make any conclusions here. (Conclusion, Paragraph 114)

Accountability through international criminal courts will be fundamental to peacebuilding and the future after this conflict has ended. The courts must be involved in information gathering so that, whenever this conflict ends, decisions can be made. (Conclusion, Paragraph 122)

In April 2025, members of the Foreign Affairs Committee visited Ukraine, where they saw the work of the Global Rights Alliance collecting evidence of acts during the conflict for potential future legal processes. This is supported by the UK Government and is a commendable project. The UK Government should offer its support, including its expertise and contacts, to set up a similar project in Gaza to preserve and record evidence on both sides of the conflict. (Recommendation, Paragraph 123) Wider regional context

The UK needs to continue its support for Lebanon, which is a vital component of stability in the Levant, situated as it is alongside Syria, with its fragile polity and its strong ties to Lebanon. The UK Government should prioritise spending on both civil and military support for Lebanon’s 55 economic and social stability, in particular for its armed forces in their implementation of Security Council Resolution 1701 and the November 2024 ceasefire with Israel, to help strengthen Lebanon as a major component of the regional peacebuilding infrastructure. It is vital that the UK supports the Lebanese Armed Forces because if the area is to be stabilised, people need to believe they will be protected by the official military force of the Lebanese Government so that they will feel confident enough to hand over their weapons. The UK Government should prioritise assistance to Lebanon’s nation-building, as nation-building is an area where the UK can add value through its expertise. (Recommendation, Paragraph 136) 56