Select committee: Foreign Affairs Committee
Recommendation 3
1st Report - Israel-Palestine conflict
Published 25 Jul 2025
Addressed to Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office
Foreign Affairs Committee The Israeli-Palestinian conflict All items in this report Report on parliament.uk ↗ Inquiry on parliament.uk ↗
Recommendation (the committee's words)
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
From: Foreign Affairs Committee, 1st Report - Israel-Palestine conflict (HC 488), 25 July 2025
Government response
The government responded to the whole report on 30 October 2025 (deadline 25 September 2025).
Summary written by Accountability Index from the government's response. It is not the government's own words.The government agrees with most of the Committee's recommendations, partially agrees on arbitrary detention and on evidence-gathering in Gaza, and "notes" those on F-35 exports, a settlement goods ban and future sanctions.
- On recognition of Palestine, the government agrees with the recommendation and states that on 21 September the UK "officially recognised the state of Palestine as a sovereign and independent state".
- On F-35 exports, the government "notes" the recommendation, says the only exception to the suspension is parts for the global F-35 programme, and says it "will always act in line with domestic and international law".
- On arbitrary detention, the government agrees on establishing an Envoy but disagrees on the definition, saying there is "not a single internationally agreed definition".
- On a Gaza evidence-gathering project modelled on Ukraine, the government "does not agree that this particular model would work", citing the lack of a state partner or structures on the ground and challenges of access.