Middle East

After much reflection and research, and after listening to the views of many people, including co...

The Prime Minister has said that the head of the serpent is in Raqqa and that therefore we must a...

With all due respect to the Prime Minister, my hon. Friend is quite right: his was a rather simpl...

Does my hon. Friend agree that it is essential to build an international alliance in order to tak...

I agree, and I will come in a moment to what I think we should be doing.

In addition to the...

Will the hon. Gentleman give way?

I will not.

I want Britain to engage in a concerted diplomatic effort to wean Russia and Ir...

Will the hon. Gentleman give way?

I am sorry, but I will not, because of the time.

There are often distractions. Because the ...

I congratulate my hon. Friend the Member for Bracknell (Dr Lee) on securing this important and ti...

I very much welcome my hon. Friend’s comments on the state of Christianity in the region. It is, ...

My hon. Friend has made the point superbly well already.

During its visit to Iraq, the Defence Committee also went to Jordan. One of the things we were ex...

I thank the hon. Lady very much for her intervention. Perhaps I should not call it a highlight of...

I wish you an excellent St Andrew’s day, Madam Deputy Speaker. I am aware of your very strong Gae...

Will my hon. Friend join me in congratulating our First Minister, Nicola Sturgeon, on her invitat...

I do congratulate the First Minister and emphasise that diplomacy is important.

Nick Witney...

The hon. Lady is making a very interesting point, but was she not here when the Chairman of the F...

I was here for the statement and I heard the Chairman of the Select Committee state those views. ...

I commend my hon. Friend the Member for Bracknell (Dr Lee) on bringing this important debate to t...

Does my hon. Friend recognise that this is not the first time in the history of the middle east t...

My hon. Friend is absolutely right. He is a great scholar and I look forward to his contribution ...

My hon. Friend talks about influence in Baghdad, but does he agree that one of our failures was i...

I thank my hon. Friend, and I am coming on to that point. He is right to point out the shortcomin...

It is some years since I worked in the middle east, so what I am about to say is fashioned mainly...

Given those numbers, does my hon. Friend agree that we should pay tribute to the people of Jordan...

I agree entirely, and in a Westminster Hall debate some weeks ago I argued that we must do more f...

If ISIL is to remain in the middle east, and more and more people are purged from that putative s...

My concern is about the most innocent and vulnerable people. Of course we want an end to terroris...

In defeating this evil organisation, we must defeat its ideology, appeal and self-proclaimed legi...

They are indeed evil scum. I pay tribute to the many Members who call this scum by their proper n...

I am sorry to interrupt the hon. Gentleman, but I have visited the Falkland Islands many times. T...

I accept that that is true in some regard. However, a UK Government programme is still under way ...

I am grateful to my hon. Friend the Member for Bracknell (Dr Lee) and my hon. and learned Friend ...

The Minister is making some excellent points. We talk very often about cyber-terrorism. Al-Khwari...

My hon. Friend underlines my point about the history.

This is a proud and fragmented part o...

I know how diligent the Minister has been in getting to understand the region, and in visiting an...

One week ago, the hon. Lady could have made a powerful case for that, but I am pleased to say tha...

I know that my hon. Friend is familiar with the case of my constituent’s father, Mr Kamal Forough...

I think we are having a meeting about this next week. The fact that we now have a dialogue with I...

I am grateful to the Minister for mentioning Yemen, which should not be forgotten when discussing...

First, may I acknowledge the right hon. Gentleman’s commitment to the country as chair of the all...

My hon. Friend will share my tremendous frustration that a government of national unity in Libya ...

I was involved in speaking to members of delegations on both sides at the UN General Assembly, an...

Can the Minister update us on when we might expect a vote on air strikes being extended to Syria ...

I hear the words of the hon. Gentleman, who places his concerns on the record, but I seek your gu...

Will the hon. Gentleman give way?

I will not, I am afraid.

That mission creep is the changing of tactics directly to attack w...

On behalf of my party, I applaud the Back Benchers who have secured today’s debate. We now know f...

The hon. Gentleman makes an excellent point about the very policies that Her Majesty’s Government...

My point is that it must be on the agenda, and that we cannot have a situation whereby we appear ...

Will the hon. Gentleman give way?

I am not sure whether I will be given extra time, but I will take the intervention anyway.

Will the hon. Gentleman forgive me if I make a very short comment on the Israel-Palestine questio...

It is distinct, but it is not possible to consider a lasting peace in the middle east without add...

Will the hon. Gentleman give way?

Again, I am not sure whether I have time, but I will take the intervention.

The hon. Gentleman will know, in relation to numbers on the ground, that at the Vienna conference...

I share the hon. Gentleman’s scepticism in this regard. Last Thursday I asked the Prime Minister ...

On a point of order, Madam Deputy Speaker. Further to the point of order that was raised earlier ...

I have not received any confirmation or otherwise from a Minister, but I have been in the Chair f...

I, too, congratulate my hon. Friend the Member for Bracknell (Dr Lee) on securing this important ...

I know that the focus of the House has mainly been on Syria today, but now that we know we will b...

I pay tribute to the work that the right hon. Gentleman has done on this subject. I spoke to Pres...

The Minister is right to say that we should not allow ourselves to be diverted from this. I welco...

I understand that a number of people have dropped out of this debate because there is apparently ...

That is very good news. Every time the Minister gets to that Dispatch Box, he gives the House som...

I have been sitting here racking my brains trying to remember which of Philip Larkin’s poems cont...

I have not been able to sit through all of this debate, but it has been a pleasure none the less ...

Order. Before I call the next speaker, let me say that there have been quite a large number of Me...

Thank you, Madam Deputy Speaker. I will try to fill the 10 minutes that you have now made availab...

I understand from the Chair of the Foreign Affairs Committee that the UK has eight planes in Iraq...

That is a debate we can have on Wednesday, I am not going to answer that question now.

We n...

Turkey is still talking to the European Union about accession, so when the Government take such a...

My hon. Friend raises an important point. At best, it sends a very confused signal and, at worst,...

Does my hon. Friend agree that sadly the same is true of the press’s attention to the conflict in...

To a certain extent, the press are still not looking at Yemen. We have heard excellent contributi...

Does my hon. Friend agree that it is not just the media? Too often, many of us looking on events ...

My hon. Friend makes a good point. It is time to look at the bigger picture, and I am sure that t...

I am delighted to use up the last minute of my hon. Friend’s time by responding to the two points...

I thank the Minister for that. We will probably have further discussions about Turkey.

8.11...

I, too, will not take up my allotted time. Nevertheless, thank you for your generosity, Madam Dep...

The hon. Gentleman said that there is no plan on who will govern Syria after any intervention. Su...

That is a fair point. At the end of the day, that is where we are. We have absolutely no idea: th...

Perhaps I can clarify for the House the fact that bombing is already under way in Syria. Britain ...

I welcome the Minister’s clarification, but it does not go far enough. The process is incremental...

It is a pleasure to take part in the debate. I congratulate my hon. Friend the Member for Brackne...

I am grateful for the opportunity to speak in this timely and important debate and pay tribute to...

Does my hon. Friend agree that the main external actor in the Israel-Palestine situation is the U...

I agree entirely with my hon. Friend. The United Kingdom, with its historical links and understan...

Does my hon. Friend think that the media have a responsibility to highlight what is going on in Y...

I agree entirely with my hon. Friend. Not only do the media have a responsibility to cover confli...

On a point of order, Mr Deputy Speaker. Last Thursday I warmly commended the Prime Minister on th...

I thank the hon. Gentleman for his point of order. To run through his questions, he is absolutely...

I thank the Backbench Business Committee. I congratulate my hon. Friend the Member for Bracknell ...

My hon. Friend is making a powerful case. He is right to speak about the Iraqi forces. We have pe...

I agree with the Minister. He makes a strong point. The more united our front is, the more that g...

It is a huge pleasure to follow my hon. Friend the Member for Bolton West (Chris Green) after suc...

My hon. and learned Friend is making a powerful speech. I thank him again for securing the debate...

I agree with the Minister on that. The difficulty will be which candidates are permitted by the G...

As ever, my hon. and learned Friend is as erudite as he is eloquent. Does he agree that, although...

I do agree, and in fact it affects stability not just in the middle east but across other oil-pro...

I, too, commend my hon. Friend the Member for Bracknell (Dr Lee) for securing this important deba...

I begin by paying tribute to my hon. Friend the Member for Bracknell (Dr Lee) for securing this i...

We often hear about modernisation in Iran. Does my hon. Friend believe that it is making good pro...

I do not think anyone would say that the Supreme Leader was a moderniser. The President is, but t...

Order. I suggest that hon. Members now speak for six minutes, as I want to bring the shadow Minis...

It is an honour to follow my hon. Friend the Member for South Ribble (Seema Kennedy). She made a ...

I agree that the rebuilding in Gaza is crucial. Will my hon. Friend join me in asking the Ministe...

It is key that we monitor what is done. Clearly, Hamas is still using its power to divert aid and...

It is an honour to follow my hon. Friend the Member for Harrow East (Bob Blackman), who, as alway...

It is a pleasure to follow my hon. Friend the Member for Macclesfield (David Rutley), and I congr...

I want to concentrate on the possible effectiveness of air strikes against Daesh in Syria.

...

I congratulate the hon. Member for Bracknell (Dr Lee) and other Members who secured this timely d...

We have heard many outstanding speeches from Members in all parts of the House. I particularly th...