LFI parliamentarians have today taken part in two parliamentary debates on human rights for Palestinians.
LFI chair Steve McCabe MP
LFI chair Steve McCabe MP spoke at length during the debate, in which he highlighted the dire human rights records of the Palestinian Authority and Hamas in the West Bank and Gaza, respectively.
McCabe set out how “the failure to reach a peaceful resolution of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict means that the human rights of both Palestinian and Israeli civilians are frequently put at risk”, and reminded colleagues that “all too often this subject is presented as if only the Palestinians experienced threats to their human rights and only the Israelis were responsible”.
He went on to discuss how Palestinians have consistently been denied the right to vote by the PA and Hamas, with president Abbas now eighteen years into his four year term.
McCabe also pointed to the PA’s “track record of arbitrary detention, with more than 200 Palestinians detained last year”, and routine use of torture, including “a number of reported deaths in PA custody, including that of anti-corruption activist Nizar Banat”.
His speech went on to discuss the PA and Hamas’s extremely poor records on women’s rights and LGBT+ rights for Palestinians. He concluded by saying that “we will not do the Palestinian people any favours by turning a blind eye to the record of Hamas and the Palestinian Authority”, and appealed to colleagues that “I am happy and willing to criticise the excesses of Israeli politicians and Israeli forces, but we have to be honest and criticise the excesses of the Palestinian Authority and Hamas, too, if we want a balanced and reasonable debate.”
You can read the full debate here.
LFI parliamentary supporter Alex Davies-Jones MP
In response to an earlier government statement on Israel and the Occupied Palestinian territories, LFI parliamentary supporter Alex Davies-Jones MP “sent her heartfelt condolences to Rabbi Leo Dee and the rest of the family on the horrific murder of Lucy, Maia and Rina” earlier this month.
She went on to reiterate the need to “condemn violence and terrorism in all its forms” and asked for the government’s “assessment […] of the current security situation and of the recent loss of life in Israel and the occupied West Bank”.