The Earl of Courtown (Con)

My Lords, I thank the Minister for repeating the Statement and I welcome the meeting held yesterday between the Government and Prime Minister Mustafa. We on these Benches are clear that an effective Palestinian Authority is vital for lasting peace and progress towards a two-state solution in the region. The Palestinian people deserve the dignity and stability that statehood can bring, and there should be a negotiated settlement leading, as affirmed by the Minister, to a two-state solution, with a safe and secure Israel living alongside a viable and sovereign Palestinian state. I welcome the efforts made by the Government to continue the work of the previous Government in reaching this outcome. I note the memorandum of understanding signed by the Foreign Secretary and Prime Minister Mustafa, which enshrined their commitment to advancing Palestinian statehood as part of a two-state solution. Building and maintaining rapport with partners in the Palestinian Authority is essential, but we need to make sure that the recognition of a Palestinian state comes at a time that is most conducive to the peace process. Recognition cannot be the start of the process. Hamas is still being fought in parts of Gaza, and Israeli hostages remain in captivity. Ensuring that Hamas is no longer in charge of Gaza and removing its capacity to launch attacks against Israel are essential and unavoidable steps on the road to a lasting peace. Does the Minister agree with this position? Does she see recognition as the culmination of a process rather than its beginning? In the immediate term, we must prioritise getting the hostages out and getting more aid in. That is crucial for making progress towards a sustainable end to the current conflict. The previous Government produced clear proposals for getting aid into affected areas and put them to the Government of Israel. They included the delivery of aid through Ashdod and Erez, as well as Kerem Shalom and the Jordan land corridor. Israel made a number of significant and welcome commitments on these points, as well as on approving further forms of aid, but fulfilment of those commitments is vital. Will the Minister please update the House on what discussions His Majesty’s Government are having with partners in Israel to ensure that these obligations are met? We are clear that Hamas cannot ever have influence in Gaza again. It is therefore important that the Palestinian Authority commits to undertake serious, measurable and tangible reforms on education, welfare policy and democracy to strengthen resilience against this threat in the future. Will the Minister update the House on what work the Government are doing with Palestinian Authority to advance progress in these areas? Can she assure us that these are discussed in talks with partners in the authority? Progress on this issue needs a collaborative approach and we are also clear that, just as the Palestinian Authority must act, so must Israel. That means releasing frozen funds, halting settlement expansion and holding to account those responsible for extremist settler violence. We want to see a sustainable end to the conflict in Gaza, the release of the hostages and more done to get humanitarian aid to innocent Palestinian civilians. We welcome the steps taken by the Government to work with the Palestinian Authority and hope that they will continue our work to reach a lasting solution and a future in which Hamas will never have a place.