Oldham East & Saddleworth MP, Debbie Abrahams holds Palestine Middle East Summit in Parliament
MP for Oldham East and Saddleworth, Debbie Abrahams hosted a Middle East Summit in Parliament last week in her capacity as Chair of the Palestine All-Party Parliamentary Group (“APPG”) to discuss the Gaza ceasefire and next stage of a peace process.
The summit hosted seven ambassadors and three ministers from across the Middle East and North Africa in Parliament including Palestine, Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Egypt, Qatar, Bahrain, Kuwait, Morocco, and Tunisia. Over 50 Parliamentarians were in attendance from a number of UK political parties, organised by Debbie Abrahams MP.
The event follows Abrahams’ tireless advocacy for a ceasefire and durable peace between Israel and Hamas, something which has been commended by the Foreign Secretary, David Lammy MP who has said previously that he “can’t think of a colleague who has pressed me more on these issues [the Gaza conflict and the need for a ceasefire and return of the hostages] on a regular basis.”
In attendance were other influential MPs from Greater Manchester, including Afzal Khan the MP for Manchester Rusholme, Jeff Smith MP for Manchester Withington, with peers including Lord Alf Dubs and Baroness Sayeeda Warsi.
The plans for the development and restoration of Gaza and the West Bank being discussed in Cairo by regional nations part of the Arab League Summit, were also presented to Parliamentarians. This plan comes as efforts continue between concerned parties to broker an extension and further development of the next phase of a ceasefire in Gaza which has largely held and has included highly publicised hostage releases and detainee/prisoner exchanges.
This plan was put forward at the same summit where US regional allies including Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Jordan, UAE and Qatar formally rejected President Trump’s proposal for the forcible removal of Palestinians from Gaza and the monetisation of the land which could plausibly further destabilise the region.
The Arab League’s plan has been welcomed by foreign ministers in Europe from across the political spectrum. The five-year plan is estimated to cost £41bn and rejects the displacement of people from Gaza. The UK is not expected to fund these costs, and an international conference is due to be held in April 2025 to raise funds necessary for this rebuilding project. It is expected that wealthy states in the region would be willing to lead on funding some of this investment, but it is recognised that this can only be brought about with a lasting ceasefire and peace being agreed upon with Israel.
Debbie Abrahams MP said “It was of paramount of importance to bring my parliamentary colleagues, diplomats and ministers from the Middle East and North Africa together to foster the sense of solidarity between nations with the Palestinian people, and for UK Parliamentarians to hear of the Arab League’s plans firsthand.
It is important that the Palestinians people in Gaza and the West Bank are helped to rebuild civic society and infrastructure, and that the support demonstrated is translated into action which is in the interests of Palestinians.
The future of Gaza must work in the interests of the Palestinian people, and that has been recognised by the UK, Italy, France and Germany calling for Gaza to be rebuilt over a five-year period. That will only be possible with a lasting peace and with the States of Palestine and Israel living alongside each other in safety and security.
I know that many of my constituents care deeply about the humanitarian catastrophe that Gazans are enduring. I hope that these plans, endorsed by the UK Government can be realised.
The Prime Minister’s leadership on Ukraine over the last 10 days was commented on as exemplary by members of the Ambassadors’ panel. There was optimism that the UK’s role for Ukraine could also
benefit the Middle East, bringing together Israelis and Palestinians to work towards a just and sustainable peace. In doing so, the UK has reasserted its willingness to play its part in helping to broker peace both in Euro
