Tag: Israel

Bishop of Gloucester asks about events in Gaza and the West Bank

The Bishop of Gloucester asked a question on the links between events in Gaza and in the West Bank, and the broader issue of Israeli treatment of Palestinians, during a discussion on provision of humanitarian aid to Gaza on 4th June 2025:

The Lord Bishop of Gloucester: My Lords, I too declare an interest, having just returned from Israel/Palestine last week. As we talk about humanitarian aid, does the Minister agree that the horrors we are now seeing in Gaza cannot and should not be separated from the tensions and conflicts in the West Bank, and that what we are seeing across the whole of the Occupied Palestinian Territories of Gaza, east Jerusalem and the West Bank are all part of one and the same thing —a diminishing of human dignity and equality, a dispossession of land and identity, and a violation by the Israeli Government of the right of Palestinian people to self-determination?

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Church Commissioners Written Questions: Archbishops Council, Overseas Trade – Israel & Occupied Territories

On 20th May 2025, Marsha De Cordova MP, on behalf of the Church Commissioners, gave the following written answers to questions from MPs:

Archbishops Council

Danny Kruger MP (Con, East Wiltshire): To ask the hon. Member for Battersea, representing the Church Commissioners, if she will (a) publish the amounts certified under subsection 2(6) of the National Institutions Measure 1998 for each year since that provision came into force and (b) place copies of the annual statutory certificates issued to the Church Commissioners under subsection 2(6) in the House of Commons Library.

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Bishop of Gloucester asks about situation in Gaza and the Occupied Palestinian Territories

The Bishop of Gloucester received the following written answers on 12th April 2025:

The Lord Bishop of Gloucester asked His Majesty’s Government, in the light of the resumed fighting in Gaza, what plans they have to ensure access to humanitarian aid and a return to a ceasefire.

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Bishop of Manchester asks about situation in the West Bank

The Bishop of Manchester asked a question on the situation in the West Bank on 24th March 2025, following a government statement on the conflict in Gaza:

The Lord Bishop of Manchester: I am very grateful for the Statement that was brought to this House today. From these Benches, I echo the comments that noble Lords have made about the fact that Hamas must have no part in any future government of the Palestinian territories or any future Palestinian state. Every time the situation in Gaza has become more warlike, under the fog of that war there have been atrocities committed in the West Bank. Some of the more extreme settler movements are trying to oust Palestinian farming families from territories that everybody accepts are theirs by right. What can His Majesty’s Government do to ensure that we do not lose sight of the West Bank at this time when, quite rightly, there is a proper focus on Gaza?

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Bishop of Gloucester asks about durability of ceasefire in Gaza

On 18th March 2025, the Bishop of Gloucester tabled a question on the durability of the ceasefire in Gaza, condemning the recent airstrikes on Gaza and raising the possibility of targeted sanctions against the Israeli government:

The Lord Bishop of Gloucester: To ask His Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the durability of the ceasefire in Gaza.

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Bishop of Southwark asks new Israeli legislation concerning the ICC

The Bishop of Southwark received the following written answer on 17th March 2025:

The Lord Bishop of Southwark asked His Majesty’s Government whether they have made representations to the government of Israel regarding the Protection of Israeli Public Officials from the Action of the International Criminal Court in The Hague against the State of Israel Bill 2024.

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Bishop of Southwark asks about impact of Israeli legislation on aid to Israeli and Palestinian human rights groups

The Bishop of Southwark received the following written answer on 13th March 2025:

The Lord Bishop of Southwark asked His Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the likely impact of the Associations Bill (Amendment—Donation from Foreign State Entity) 2024, currently before the Knesset, on the United Kingdom’s overseas development assistance to Israeli and Palestinian human rights organisations.

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Bishop of Gloucester asks about Israeli military activity in the West Bank

The Bishop of Gloucester asked a question on the intensification of Israeli military activity in the West Bank on 30th January 2025, following a government statement on the humanitarian situation in Gaza:

The Lord Bishop of Gloucester: My Lords, I am grateful for this Statement and thank the Minister for her sensitive and careful comments. Would she accept that, although the ceasefire agreement offers a glimmer of hope that a different future is possible, the situation in the West Bank continues to go from bad to worse? What assessment have the Government made of Israel’s intensification of military action in the West Bank? The fear held by many, including those on these Benches who have just returned from that region, is that this is a precursor to full or partial annexation. What is the Government’s strategy for dealing with the deteriorating situation in the West Bank?

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Bishop of Gloucester asks about steps taken to ensure Israel acts in accordance with humanitarian law

The Bishop of Gloucester asked a question on steps being taken to call on Israel to act in accordance with the UN Charter and international humanitarian law on 26th November 2024, during a discussion on restrictions on international aid workers in Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territories:

The Lord Bishop of Gloucester: My Lords, what specific steps are being taken to call on Israel to act consistently with its obligations under the Charter of the United Nations and its other obligations under international humanitarian law?

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Bishop of Oxford asks about community cohesion

The Bishop of Oxford asked a question on government efforts to encourage community cohesion on 8th October 2024, following a statement marking the anniversary of the October 7th attacks in Israel and the ongoing conflict in the Middle East:

The Lord Bishop of Oxford: My Lords, I thank the Minister for her very compassionate and clear Statement and the tone in which it was delivered. I also thank other noble Lords who have spoken and no doubt those who will speak about these terrible, terrible events and the effect they are having on our own communities.

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