James Cleverly says government will not ‘rush to judgment’ over who was to blame for Gaza hospital blast – UK politics live | Politics
James Cleverly says UK government will not ‘rush to judgment’ over who was to blame for hospital blast
James Cleverly, the foreign secretary, is responding to the urgent question on the explosion at the Al-Ahli hospital.
He says the loss of life is “profoundly disturbing”. And he says the UK is working with allies to establish what happened. He goes on:
We will not rush to judgment. The whole house will understand that pointing fingers prematurely only fuels regional instability and upsets community cohesion here in UK …
We are carefully analysing the evidence that has been put in the public domain and other information. And as soon as we have reached a definitive conclusion for ourselves, we will make that public.
But he says some things are not in doubt. Israel suffered an unprecedented terrorist attack from a group indiffferent to human life, he says.
Key events
Caroline Lucas (Green) says of course securing a ceasefire would be hard. But, without one, thousands more people will be killed, she says. She says the UK should be on the right side of history.
Cleverly says Hamas and groups like Islamic Jihad are also involved in this conflict. He says anyone calling for Israel to observe a ceasefire should also be calling on the terrorist groups to accept that. (That provokes gasps from some MPs in the chamber, because he seems to be implying that Lucas isn’t doing that.)
Cleverly says broadcasters should focus on accuracy, and not try to ‘outpace social media platforms’
Damian Green (Con) asked Cleverly if he agreed that broadcasters and social media companies needed to be more responsible in their reporting. “I am struck by the number of emails I have had from constituents that have already rushed to conclusions and all blame Israel,” he said.
Cleverly said there was ongoing efforts in government to urge social media platforms to “act with greater professionalism and greater consciousness of the impact they have”. He went on:
I would make a broad point to broadcasters. I have had this conversation directly with broadcasters in the past. I believe there is an attempt by broadcasters to try and outpace those social media platforms.
The days of breaking news on those traditional platforms is long in the past. They should focus on accuracy rather than pace, because their words have impact here in the UK, and around the world.
No 10 says at least 7 Britons known to have been killed in Hamas attack, and 9 nine more missing
At the post-PMQs briefing, No 10 said that at least seven Britons are now known to have been killed in the Hamas attack on Israel, and a further nine are missing. On Monday Sunak told MPs at least six Britons had been killed, and 10 more were missing.
Anum Qaisar (SNP) asked Cleverly if he would back calls for an international criminal court investigation into what was happening in Gaza, including the forced removal of civilians.
Cleverly said he thought Qaisar was “fundamentally wrong”. He said encouraging people to move to safety was not forced relocation.
Crispin Blunt (Con), a former chair of the foreign affairs committee, says both sides have already committed war crimes. In Gaza people are starving, and being “dehydrated to death”. That amounts to collective punishment, which is illegal. And the forced deportation of people is also illegal, he says. He says a ceasefire is the only way out of this.
Cleverly rejects call for UK to demand ceasefire, saying Hamas would not respect one
Rachael Maskell (Lab) urges the government to call for a ceasefire, to de-esclate the situation.
Cleverly replies:
I have seen nothing – nothing – which leads me to believe that Hamas would respect calls for a ceasefire.
Andrew Percy (Con) criticises the BBC for reporting what Hamas said about the hospital blast as fact, without challenge, last night. He says reporting like this puts Jews at risk.
Cleverly says journalists should remember that taking time to establish the facts can save lives.
Michael Ellis (Con) says last night a murderous organisation (Hamas) was instantly believed in what it said about the hospital blast. But people also refused to accept that Jewish babies had been brutally murdered, he says.
Cleverly agrees with Ellis’s point. He says what is said by journalists can have serious repercussions.
Diane Abbott (Lab) asked Cleverly if he would support an independent inquiry into the hospital explosion.
Cleverly said that in theory an independent inquiry would be desirable, but he suggested that was not practical in Gaza.
Cleverly says UK wants to reach its own judgment before backing Biden in saying Hamas to blame for hospital blast
In his response to Lammy, Cleverly said the government had taken note of what President Biden said about responsibility for the hospital explosion. But he said the UK government would come to its own judgment. It would do so quickly, he said, and publish the conclusions as soon as it was confident in the conclusions.
We take note of what President Biden has said, but we will come to our own judgment, we will work on that quickly, and we will ensure that our assessment is put in the public domain as soon as we are confident of the details.
At a meeting with Benjamin Netanyahu, the Israeli PM, Biden said:
Based on what I’ve seen, it appears as though it was done by the other team, not you. But there’s a lot of people out there not sure, so we’ve got to overcome a lot of things.
Lammy stresses need for Israel to follow international law ‘at all times’ as he explains Labour’s stance on conflict
In his response to Cleverly, Lammy also said Labour’s response to the crisis was governed by three principles.
First, we support Israel’s right to defend itself rescue hostages and protect your citizens.
Second, international law must be followed at all times.
And, third, civilians must not be targeted, aid provided and innocent lives protected.
Lammy also said that the government should “leave no stone unturned” in trying to the people of Gaza has access to food, water, fuel, electricity and medicines. He also said that Palestinian civilians needed to know “the world is not simply watching, but we are acting on their behalf”.
This statement sounded like a modest recalibration of Labour’s response. Lammy and Keir Starmer have been facing a strong backlash from members and councillors who think they sounded too pro-Israel in their initial comments last week, and who were appalled by interviews in which Starmer seemed to condone the collective punishment of Palestinians, in breach of international law.
Nadeem Badshah has more on the Labour backlash here.
David Lammy, the shadow foreign secretary, responded to Cleverly.
He said MPs should be “wary of disinformation” and “avoid dangerous speculation”, he says.
But he asked if the UK government agreed with President Biden’s assessment. And he asked Cleverly to share what information he could, either in public or in private, on privy council terms.
James Cleverly says UK government will not ‘rush to judgment’ over who was to blame for hospital blast
James Cleverly, the foreign secretary, is responding to the urgent question on the explosion at the Al-Ahli hospital.
He says the loss of life is “profoundly disturbing”. And he says the UK is working with allies to establish what happened. He goes on:
We will not rush to judgment. The whole house will understand that pointing fingers prematurely only fuels regional instability and upsets community cohesion here in UK …
We are carefully analysing the evidence that has been put in the public domain and other information. And as soon as we have reached a definitive conclusion for ourselves, we will make that public.
But he says some things are not in doubt. Israel suffered an unprecedented terrorist attack from a group indiffferent to human life, he says.
Normally I post a snap verdict at this point, but that is normally about the contest between Rishi Sunak and Keir Starmer. Today there was no contest; in terms of their policy, and tone, on Israel-Hamas, they were virtually indistinguishable. Both of them would regard that as a virtue, because they both stressed the need for the Commons to speak with one voice.
Crispin Blunt (Con), a former chair of the foreign affairs committee, says there is a danger of overreacting and committing a war crime. That would not just be a crime, but a mistake, he says. He says Sunak is well placed to urge restraint.
Sunak says the government is urging Israel to do all it can to avoid civilian casualties.
Gavin Newlands (SNP) asks Sunak if he agrees that was is happening to the people of Gaza is a war crime.
Sunak says Israel has a right to defend itself.
Jill Mortimer (Con) says a constituent was stabbed by an asylum seeker. She says people are scared. She says staff in her constituency are often beseieged by asylum seekers, most of whom are illegal migrants who should be expelled. She says she wants them out of Hartlepool.
Sunak says the government is doing all it can to stop illegal migration.
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