Emily Thornberry

Emily Thornberry

Labour — Islington South and Finsbury

Speaking in the House of Commons on 21 May 2026

Debate

Middle East

Contribution

I welcome the statement by the Minister, his reiteration of the Government’s commitment to international law, and that they are prepared to take further action—and will not hesitate to do so—when it comes to Palestine. It has been almost two years since the International Court of Justice issued its advisory opinion on Israel and the occupied territories, calling on the Government to take action. Since then, settler violence has exploded; just this week, the UN released a report stating in no uncertain terms that the far-right Israeli Government are weaponising settler violence to carry out their stated intention of annexing the west bank. In February, we were told that the Government wanted to respond to the advisory opinion with “the rigour and seriousness that it deserves.”—[Official Report, 5 February 2026; Vol. 780, c. 524.] In March, the Minister again told us that the Government would update the House on their reaction to the ICJ’s advisory opinion. My question is: when will we stop hesitating and take action to ensure that international law is respected?

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