Dodds: UK opposes any moves to force Palestinians to leave Gaza

Britain would oppose any effort to move Palestinians in Gaza to neighbouring Arab states against their will, a Foreign Office minister has said.

Anneliese Dodds issued a clear rejection of a proposal from President Donald Trump for the United States to consider taking ownership of the Gaza Strip.

Mr Trump suggested the US could redevelop the war-torn territory into the “Riviera of the Middle East”.

Replying to an urgent question, Ms Dodds told the House of Commons: “Palestinians must determine the future of Gaza with support from regional states and the wider international community.

“We would oppose any effort to move Palestinians in Gaza to neighbouring Arab states against their will. There must be no forced displacement of Palestinians nor any reduction in the territory of the Gaza Strip.

“Palestinian civilians should be able to return to and rebuild their homes and their lives – that is a right guaranteed under international law.

“Gaza is home to two million Palestinians and remains an integral part of what must become a future Palestinian state, with Palestinians living next to Israelis in peace and security.”

Ms Dodds said the US has played a “critical” role in negotiating the ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas, adding: “We must now work together to ensure the ceasefire is implemented in full and becomes permanent.”

The minister said the UK Government is also “concerned” about the Israeli government’s “expansion of war aims and operations” in the West Bank.

Ms Dodds said: “Stability is essential at this crucial time. We recognise Israel’s right to defend itself and the continuing threat posed by armed groups, but it must show restraint and ensure the scale and conduct of its operations are commensurate to the threat posed.

“Civilians must be protected and the destruction of civilian infrastructure minimised. The UK remains opposed to illegal settlements, their expansion and settler violence.”

In her concluding remarks, Ms Dodds said: “Our attention must now turn to how we secure a permanently better future for the Israeli and Palestinian peoples, grounded – to reiterate the point a final time – in a two-state solution.”

Conservative shadow Foreign Office minister Wendy Morton called on the Government to outline its response to allegations that Hamas held British-Israeli Emily Damari in United Nations facilities.

She said: “The testimony of Emily Damari about the location of her captivity is also very serious and there needs to be a thorough and independent investigation, and urgently.

“So, today, I would also be grateful for clarity from the minister about how the UK Government is formally responding beyond calls for an investigation.”

Ms Dodds replied: “She did press rightly on the situation in relation to Emily Damari’s captivity and the fact that there were allegations that Emily Damari had been held in UNRWA facilities.

“Commissioner (Philippe) Lazzarini, who’s the head of UNRWA, has stated that claims hostages have been held in UNRWA premises are disturbing, I agree with him.

“I welcome UNRWA’s call for independent investigations into any misuse of its facilities, as indeed has been the case previously and, of course, the Colonna Report was investigating other allegations, and the UK has worked with UNRWA to ensure that those investigations have been thorough and that the appropriate changes have been made.”

Conservative former minister Kit Malthouse said “hot air” from both the Labour Government and the previous Tory administration led to Donald Trump “openly contemplating the forceable transfer of the Palestinians”.

He added: “Are Arabs, and particularly Palestinians, entitled to the same protections under international law as everybody else?”

Ms Dodds said “international law is universal”, adding: “This UK Government has taken a different approach to the previous government on matters of accountability, we were very clear that the UK’s arms export regime had to be held to, that it had to be operated in line with international humanitarian law.”

Conservative MP Bob Blackman (Harrow East) urged the Government to come up with a “counter proposal” to Mr Trump’s, which is “reasonable and achievable”.

Ms Dodds said the Government is seeking to work practically with the Palestinian Authority.

Later in the session, an Independent MP accused Mr Trump of “behaving like a gangster” while a Labour MP claimed the US President has “lifted the lid on Israel’s real plan” of ethnic cleansing.

Shockat Adam, Leicester South MP, said: “As we speak, mothers are looking for their children in the rubble whilst at the same time we have the most powerful man of the most powerful country in the world behaving like a gangster, talking about replacing these people from their land, replacing their homes with beachfront properties, creating casinos and a riviera.

“Is this the time, minister, where we categorically use the same words as we do for other conflicts and call this out for what it is, and that is the ethnic cleansing of the Palestinian people?”

Leeds East MP Richard Burgon said: “Trump has lifted the lid on Israel’s real plan, the ethnic cleansing, the forced displacement of Palestinians. Nobody can any longer claim they didn’t know, and don’t know what’s going on, a genocide.

“All the warm words in the world about a two-state solution won’t stop this, only sanctions will, as the world’s top court demands – and that means bans on Israeli settlement goods entering this country, it means sanctions on trade, it means an arms embargo.

“Without doing that, people and this House will never be able to say that we did everything that we could to stop these crimes that will echo down the generations. So, will the minister finally agree to confirming that the Government will finally treat Israel as it’s rightly treated Russia and impose widespread sanctions?”

Ms Dodds replied: “The UK Government is absolutely determined to ensure there is not forced displacement, that would be contrary to international law. Gazans must be allowed home.”