Liberal Democrat MP Layla Moran has urged the Government to help de-escalate the growing unrest between Israel and Palestine in an Urgent Question in the House of Commons.
Ms Moran made clear that the Government must work with the international community to halt the violence and avoid the situation escalating towards war.
Following the Urgent Question, Layla Moran MP said: “Last night, the UN Special Envoy to the Middle East Peace Process warned that the situation in Israel and Palestine is “escalating towards a full scale war”.
“It is therefore vital that the UK Government plays our full part through international diplomatic efforts to call for de-escalation, now, today. One would hope that that could be through the Security Council but we also cannot wait for the United States.
“I have serious concerns regarding the willingness of the UK Government to follow these steps, concerns which have not been allayed by the Minister’s response to my Urgent Question.
“The Foreign Secretary’s media statement on the crisis focused solely on Hamas, making no acknowledgment of the role of the Israeli government. Neither was there any recognition of the provocative timing of these attacks, during Ramadan. It is vital that, along with full de-escalation, international pressure is put on both the Israeli government and Hamas to abide by their commitments under international law.
“The UK must do all it can to avoid war. What we need now is the full force of the international community to say: this has to stop. And it’s not just the Israeli government that has to stop. The escalation of the rocket fire towards Israel must cease. We need people to put down their arms – to stop killing innocent civilians, and children – and get back to the negotiating table.”