Speeches

Katy Clark – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Katy Clark on 2014-07-16.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what assessment he has made of whether Israeli military action during Operation Protective Edge has complied with its international legal obligations.

Mr Tobias Ellwood

We have not yet made a full assessment. We continue to monitor events in Gaza and Israel carefully and call on all sides to ensure that their actions are in line with International Humanitarian Law. International Humanitarian Law requires all sides to distinguish between military and civilian targets and enable unhindered humanitarian access. It is vital that all actions are proportionate, in line with International Humanitarian Law and are calibrated to avoid any further civilian casualties.