Isabel Hardman Isabel Hardman

Sunak unites the Commons behind Israel’s right to defence

Rishi Sunak at PMQs (Credit: Parliamentlive.tv)

Most of the questions to Rishi Sunak today at Prime Minister’s Questions can be usefully summarised by the point put to him late on by SNP MP Stewart McDonald.

McDonald said: ‘Of course the sadism of Hamas can only be condemned and there’s no question of Israel’s right to defence and security. But international law is very clear, Mr Speaker, that acting against international law in response to terrorism is unjustified. So in all of these packages that the Prime Minister has announced vis a vis humanitarian aid, and the military package he announced last week, can he tell the House how the government will ensure that international law is adhered to beyond just statements from Israel’s head of state?’

Sunak said that while Israel needed to act within international law, Hamas was embedding itself within civilian areas

Much of the session had been spent labouring the point that Israel does have a right to defend itself against the terror attack by Hamas.

Isabel Hardman
Written by
Isabel Hardman
Isabel Hardman is assistant editor of The Spectator and author of Why We Get the Wrong Politicians. She also presents Radio 4’s Week in Westminster.

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