The Foreign Affairs Committee recently published its first report in the new parliament on “The Israel-Palestine conflict”. 

The report finds that the UK’s actions in the Israel-Palestine conflict, and in the years preceding, have often been too little, too late, calls on the UK Government to take seriously its influence on the United States, to help bring an end to the conflict and to take a harder line on settlements and undertake a thorough programme of evidence collection. You can read the full report here:

Foreign Affairs Committee Report on the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict

BIMA submitted extensive evidence to the Committee back in December – read BIMA’s evidence here.

In our evidence, we called for the suspension of arms sales to uphold the UK’s ethical and legal responsibilities, the protection of medical neutrality to safeguard healthcare workers and facilities, the unhindered delivery of humanitarian aid to those in urgent need and a clear demand that the protection of healthcare in conflict zones, already established under international humanitarian law, is fully upheld, ensuring that medical professionals can provide lifesaving care without fear of targeting or obstruction. 

We’re pleased to see that BIMA has been referenced several times in the final report, including the recognition of the State of Palestine by the UK and in taking actions which can help Gazan civilians caught up in the conflict, including providing medical assistance, reuniting families with members in the UK and supporting measures to protect civilians. In addition the report included our call for the UK Government to advocate for the safety and rights of British citizens in Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territories, including medical professionals and aid workers. However, we need to see concrete action on all of these points, not just words.

Unfortunately, since we gave evidence, the situation in Gaza has deteriorated significantly. The scale of humanitarian suffering, civilian casualties, and obstruction of aid has reached devastating levels. There should be no further hesitation from the UK Government in committing to meaningful action to save lives, protect human rights, and uphold international law with a genuine commitment to human rights and justice, ensuring that all efforts prioritise the protection of civilians and accountability for human rights violations and war crimes.