Speeches by Dodds.

“I welcome my right hon. Friend to her rightful place as Chair of the Foreign Affairs Committee. She is right that UNIFIL’s role is absolutely crucial. It was already incredibly important in southern Lebanon, of course, but it is now even more important given the escalating situation in the region. The UK fully supports…”

“I am grateful to the hon. Lady for the many important points she made. First, she commented on the humanitarian situation in Gaza. Clearly, we currently see a truly desperate and appalling situation for many people in Gaza. More than 90% of the population has now been displaced, and many people have been displaced nume…”

“I am grateful to my hon. Friend for the number of important points that he makes. First, he referred to footage that has been circulating widely. It is one of many instances of very disturbing footage that many of us and many of our constituents will have seen. Of course, the Government look very closely at all those r…”

“I thank my hon. Friend the Member for Middlesbrough and Thornaby East (Andy McDonald) for raising this important question. We are deeply concerned about the continuing violence; we must avoid this conflict spiralling further out of control and into a wider regional war, which is in no one’s interest. The UK was the fir…”

“I am grateful to my hon. Friend for mentioning the situation of healthcare workers. I referred to this a few moments ago in relation to those present in the Chamber who have helped to deliver much-needed healthcare. The UK Government are absolutely clear that healthcare workers must be protected. We see a very disturbi…”

“My hon. Friend rightly mentions the UN’s role within this. As a new Government, we have been ensuring that we play that leadership role, including in relation to the UN. When I was at the UN General Assembly I discussed these matters in detail, particularly the mandate of UNWRA and the importance of rejecting attacks o…”

“I absolutely will join my hon. Friend in condemning any inappropriate attacks on UN agencies of any type. I was clear a few moments ago about the UK Government’s commitment to UNIFIL. We believe that its role in southern Lebanon is crucial. We were appalled to hear that UN peacekeepers had been injured by Israeli fire …”

“Absolutely, and the UK Government will continue to advocate very strongly indeed for that, in relation to Gaza and Lebanon.”

“My hon. Friend rightly raises the issue of sanctions. I have referred previously in this urgent question to the fact that the UK Government have sanctioned those who have been promoting illegal and violent actions by settlers. We have been clear about the unacceptable nature of that. Of course, we will always keep our …”

“I am grateful to my hon. Friend for raising this important issue. The UK Government are crystal clear here. Palestinian statehood is the right of the Palestinian people, as I said a few moments ago in this Chamber. It is not in the gift of any neighbour, and it is also essential to the long-term security of Israel. My …”

“I am grateful to my hon. Friend and to all those who are engaged in promoting the health of those in Gaza, which is under so much pressure at the moment. The UK Government are concerned in particular about the potential for communicable disease, especially with winter approaching. I pay tribute to all those working in …”

“My hon. Friend rightly points out the critical role of peacekeepers, and we recognise that that includes Irish nationals as well as nationals from a number of other countries. I am grateful to her for underlining that. We are clear that UNIFIL’s role in southern Lebanon is crucial. It has a clear mandate from UN Securi…”

“Accurate reporting is critical. We are seeing large numbers of images and pieces of footage circulating that are incredibly disturbing, and perhaps for the first time our constituents are able to access this wherever they are, because they can see it on their smart- phones, not just on their television screens. It is i…”

“I am grateful to the hon. Member for his question. In the spirit of constructive engagement, I would appreciate any clear suggestions for action. I do not believe that his broad characterisation actually reflects the engagement of the new UK Government, which has been intense since our first days of entering office to …”

“I know that the right hon. Gentleman will be well aware that particular rules apply to diplomatic representation. The UK Government’s position is that diplomacy is incredibly important, given the gravity of the situation affecting Gaza and Lebanon. We will do all that we can through diplomatic means, including diplomat…”

“I am grateful to the hon. Member for his question, and for his kind words. The UK Government are clear that it is wrong to use civilians in that manner, and it is really important that civilians are protected. We have seen an appalling number of civilians being killed. A number of colleagues have already stated the fig…”

“I am grateful to my hon. Friend for making those points. Regardless of which Benches Members sit on, I do not think there will be anyone in this House who is not deeply concerned about the situation impacting on people in Gaza—particularly northern Gaza—and Lebanon. Of course, we are now seeing the conflict impact on p…”

“I share the hon. Lady’s concern about the impacts of the previous Government’s approach to financing overseas development. During a turbulent period, we saw in-donor refugee costs spiral out of control and eat up parts of the aid budget, which I have been very concerned about, and the Government are determined to deal …”

“I am grateful to my hon. Friend for those important points. I had the privilege of hearing the Attorney General restate the UK’s commitment to international humanitarian law at an event commemorating the foundation of the Geneva conventions, and this is an important time for us to reflect on their importance, given tha…”

“I must admit that I find some of the hon. Gentleman’s comments rather difficult to understand. The Prime Minister could not have been clearer in stating that Israel has the right to defend itself; it absolutely does have that right. Israel is a democratic nation, and it is important that democratic nations have that ri…”