Gaza: Permanent Ceasefire

Debbie Abrahams, the Labour MP for Oldham East and Saddleworth, asked the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, Mr David Lammy, what steps he is taking to help secure a permanent ceasefire in Gaza. In response, Mr Lammy stated that in his second week in the role, he travelled to Israel and the West Bank, and called for an immediate ceasefire, something that none of his predecessors had done. He said that in his meetings with both leaders, he called for an immediate ceasefire and made the urgent case for a credible and irreversible pathway towards a two-state solution. Debbie Abrahams welcomed Mr Lammy and his team to their place, and thanked him for calling for a ceasefire when he visited Israel, stating that it had a profound impact in her constituency. She agreed that a permanent ceasefire in Gaza is essential for the future of the people in Gaza, and would help to cool tensions in the Middle East, particularly given the attack on the Golan Heights and the escalating tensions between Hezbollah and Israel, and even the Houthis. Mr Lammy acknowledged Abrahams' point, stating that the death and destruction in Gaza is intolerable, and that the war needs to end now. He also said that if the Biden plan is adopted by both sides, it would see the escalation of tensions in the region come down, and that it is important for the plan to be adopted now, for the sake of life in Gaza and across the region.