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Israel and Palestine

The Liberal Democrats welcome what appears to be genuine progress towards securing an end to the war in the form of President Trump’s 20-point plan for peace in Gaza. We have been clear that the Palestinian people need to be at the heart of this discussion.

 

The humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza is unconscionable - both for the hostages were held in brutal captivity by Hamas terrorists, and for the millions of Palestinians whose lives and communities have been devastated by the Israeli Government’s ever-expanding offensive. We have therefore called on the Government to put all of its efforts into securing a new and permanent ceasefire. Anything less to bring about an end to the immense human suffering in Gaza would be an abject moral failure.

President Trump’s plan is not a full road map towards the two-state solution that the UK supports. It does not, for example, address settlement expansion in the West Bank. We continue to call for a law prohibiting trade between the UK and illegal settlements in the Occupied Palestinian Territories, as well as sanctions on Israeli Ministers who advocate for the illegal displacement of Palestinians. It would be utterly wrong if the UK were helping the sustainability or development of those settlements.

However, the immediate crisis is in Gaza and Trump’s plan does represent meaningful progress towards the desperately needed ceasefire there.                

On the matter of the Global Sumud Flotilla -The Government’s first duty was to ensure the safety of British nationals who were aboard the flotilla. Gazans are in the grip of an abhorrent, man-made famine. The Global Sumud Flotilla, like the Madleen before it , highlighted how urgent it is to deliver a flood of aid into Gaza under UN auspices.

It is vital to secure the reopening of humanitarian corridors into Gaza under UN auspices. The UK Government must apply real pressure on the Netanyahu Government to lift the blockade, which is causing further devastation and breaches international law. I have written to the Foreign Secretary on this.

We have long said that Hamas is genocidal and condemned them for their actions. In light of recent evidence, we are equally clear that the Israeli Government is committing genocide in Gaza. The UN Independent International Commission of Inquiry has documented deliberate starvation and preventing civilians from fleeing.

As our party leader Ed Davey said, the UN’s authoritative report requires a clear response that the Netanyahu Government is committing genocide in Gaza, and those with influence must act to stop it.

Ahead of the Prime Minister’s meeting with President Herzog, I wrote urging him to press for: an immediate ceasefire and return to negotiations to free hostages and protect civilians; full, safe and sustained humanitarian access via an effective UN-sponsored corridor with all crossings open; reversal of illegal settlement expansion and a UK ban on settlement trade; suspension of the 2030 UK–Israel Roadmap until humanitarian access is restored and the military campaign is drawn back; UK recognition of the State of Palestine; condemnation of any extraterritorial strikes that violate international law; and urgent resolution of the student visa barriers.

In addition, all 72 Liberal Democrat MPs, including me, signed a letter to the Prime Minister on 16 September 2025 urging him to use September’s State Visit to press Donald Trump to take meaningful action, including reversing his decision to block Palestinian officials from attending the UN General Assembly.

We have also collectively signed a letter calling for the UK to recognise the State of Palestine immediately, and for the Prime Minister to apply the necessary pressure on Prime Minister Netanyahu to lift the aid blockade and halt the offensive in Gaza. 

Separately, I co-signed a cross-party letter with more than 200 MPs from nine parties calling for the immediate recognition of a Palestinian state. I have also co-signed a Liberal Democrat letter to the Prime Minister calling for:
 

  • Sanctions on Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and relevant Cabinet Ministers for obstructing aid and escalating military action in Gaza

  • Suspension of all UK arms exports to Israel, including F-35 components

  • A ban on trade with illegal Israeli settlements in the Occupied Palestinian Territories


In addition, I co-signed a letter to the Home Secretary about urgent visa and biometric barriers facing students from Gaza who hold UK university offers this autumn.

I have signed the following Early Day Motions in support of these goals:
 

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I have also raised civil-liberties concerns in Parliament. During the Urgent Question on “Palestine Action: Proscription and Protests,” I pressed Ministers to commission an independent review of the use of terrorism legislation against peaceful protesters to ensure the law is proportionate and fit for purpose. 

Our Home Office spokesperson has written to the Home Secretary making clear that while violence and hate speech must be prosecuted, the blanket use of terrorism powers against peaceful protest risks a chilling effect on free expression.

I continue to receive regular updates from the Council for Arab-British Understanding and meet with partners across Parliament to stay closely informed. Israel’s ongoing military action in Gaza is devastating for Palestinian civilians, for the remaining hostages and their families, and for any hope of peace. It must cease, and a renewed ceasefire must be secured without delay. The UK must work urgently with international partners to secure humanitarian access and support a just and lasting peace based on a two-state solution rooted in the 1967 borders, with a safe and secure Israel living alongside an independent Palestinian state.

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