A TORY minister would not say whether British-sold weapons are being used in Gaza by the Israeli government.
In the Commons, former Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn asked Foreign Office minister James Cleverly whether “weapons sold by Britain or munitions sold by Britain to Israel have been used to bomb places in Gaza”.
The MP also pushed the minister on whether British-sold drones had been used for surveillance purposes in the West Bank or Gaza.
Cleverly would not directly answer the question. “The UK has a robust arms export licensing regime and all export licences are assessed in accordance with it,” he told the Chamber.
“I can assure him that the UK takes its arms export responsibilities very seriously.”
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He went on: “I would also remind him that Israel is responding to rockets fired at it from an organisation closely associated with Iran and would urge all nations to take their arms export responsibilities as seriously as the UK does.”
Cleverly insisted the international community is “pulling together” to work towards peace in the region.
At least 217 people – including 63 children – have been killed in Israeli airstrikes on Gaza in the last week. According to Gaza’s health ministry more than 1400 people are wounded.
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Hamas rockets have killed 12 people, including two children.
Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu has reportedly signalled that fighting could end within days as countries around the world call for a ceasefire.
However the United States has blocked efforts by the UN security council to draft statements demanding an end to violence. The president’s national security adviser said Washington is engaged in “quiet, intensive diplomacy”.
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Yesterday in Jerusalem police deployed water cannons in the Sheikh Jarrah neighbourhood, where Palestinian families face forced evictions from homes they have been living in for decades.
Palestinians have been protesting over the Israeli airstrikes, which at the weekend saw a building housing Al Jazeera and Associated Press offices flattened. Israel said offices in the building had been used to gather intelligence by Hamas.
The Palestinian Authority health ministry said a man was killed and 70 were wounded in clashes with Israeli troops outside Ramallah. Two Israeli soldiers were also injured.
A number of Palestinian-owned businesses in the Old City have shut in a “day of anger” over the airstrikes.
Speaking in the Commons this afternoon, Labour MP Richard Burgon said: "How many Palestinian children have to be killed, how many more Palestinian homes have to be reduced to rubble, how many more Palestinian schools and hospitals have to be bombed before the British Government takes the action necessary to finally force the Israeli government to stop its war on the Palestinian people?
"Surely now is the time for all UK weapons sales to Israel to be stopped. Surely now is the time for sanctions on the Israeli government for its repeated violations of international law. Surely now is the time - this House voted for it back in 2014 - to recognise the state of Palestine because Palestine has the right to exist."
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