Speeches by Morello.

“In other places around the world—I am thinking of places such as Kosovo and East Timor—the international community has effectively carved out a new territory or jurisdiction. If we accept that that is within the purview of the UN or the international community—whatever the medium is for doing that—is it perfectly viabl…”

“Can we talk about access for aid? Obviously, if I accept your principle that the Government are not trying to target civilians, why are there constraints on the amount of aid that is getting into the Gaza strip? That seems like a deliberate targeting of civilians, if that is humanitarian aid for the population.”

“I am interested in the casualty rates that we see reported by the United Nations and their accuracy. We see numbers in excess of 60,000 civilian deaths, including 15,000 children. Are those numbers recognised by your party or by Israeli public opinion?”

“Let us extrapolate from that. One of the stated aims that you outlined earlier was the eradication of Hamas. If you are not able to distinguish between a civilian death and the death of a Hamas combatant, what number do the Government recognise as fatalities for the area? The biggest issue we have is that the only numb…”

“I will live with that, if that is okay.”

“I understand the challenge. I thank the Chair and the Committee for the opportunity to present this application. I also thank my co-sponsors on either side of me for their cross-party support for this debate. Although I believe that the decision to increase defence spending enjoys broad cross-party support, I do not be…”

“I go back to my earlier point about what the journey to a safe and secure Israel looks like, and the continuation of the war in Gaza since the end of the ceasefire, and the way it is being perpetrated. Is there any suggestion in your mind that that is bringing about an escalation to a point where you have a ceasefire t…”

“Hostages. If that is the only end game, what is the end game for the Palestinians? There are two elements to that question. Is the way that Israel is perpetrating the conflict at the moment conducive to achieving the release of the hostages? Also, if the hostages and security for Israel are the only desired outcome, wh…”

“In terms of how the IDF or the Government are perpetrating the conflict in Gaza—how they are carrying out the war in Gaza—how effective is that at delivering those outcomes? If, as you have stated, the only outcome is a sense of security and the return of the prisoners—”

“All of which we have heard a lot of evidence about, but what do you believe the aims of the Government are in Gaza at this time?”

“Thank you for joining us. It would be helpful to understand what you believe the aims of the Israeli Government are in the conflict in Gaza. What are their stated aims? To what extent is the way in which they are perpetrating the conflict likely to deliver those outcomes?”

“You raise an interesting point that some of the hostages, unfortunately many of them dead, were released under a ceasefire agreement.”

“We have heard evidence from the Palestinian side as well. I am very keen to understand what Israel is trying to achieve and whether the way in which the war is being carried out is a route to the safe return of the hostages, to safety and security for Israel, and to X—to what. What is the 10-year plan?”

“Can we talk about access for aid? Obviously, if I accept your principle that the Government are not trying to target civilians, why are there constraints on the amount of aid that is getting into the Gaza strip? That seems like a deliberate targeting of civilians, if that is humanitarian aid for the population.”

“I am interested in the casualty rates that we see reported by the United Nations and their accuracy. We see numbers in excess of 60,000 civilian deaths, including 15,000 children. Are those numbers recognised by your party or by Israeli public opinion?”

“In other places around the world—I am thinking of places such as Kosovo and East Timor—the international community has effectively carved out a new territory or jurisdiction. If we accept that that is within the purview of the UN or the international community—whatever the medium is for doing that—is it perfectly viabl…”

“I go back to my earlier point about what the journey to a safe and secure Israel looks like, and the continuation of the war in Gaza since the end of the ceasefire, and the way it is being perpetrated. Is there any suggestion in your mind that that is bringing about an escalation to a point where you have a ceasefire t…”

“All of which we have heard a lot of evidence about, but what do you believe the aims of the Government are in Gaza at this time?”

“We have heard evidence from the Palestinian side as well. I am very keen to understand what Israel is trying to achieve and whether the way in which the war is being carried out is a route to the safe return of the hostages, to safety and security for Israel, and to X—to what. What is the 10-year plan?”

“Hostages. If that is the only end game, what is the end game for the Palestinians? There are two elements to that question. Is the way that Israel is perpetrating the conflict at the moment conducive to achieving the release of the hostages? Also, if the hostages and security for Israel are the only desired outcome, wh…”