Middle East (Hansard, 16 June 1976)

§ 7. Mr. Walters
asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth 524 Affairs if he will make a statement on the situation in the Middle East.

§ 11. Mr. Moonman
asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will give consideration to taking a new initiative in relation to the Israeli-Arab dispute.

§ The Minister of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs (Mr. Roy Hattersley)
As I said on 19th May, we hope that negotiations can soon be resumed with the aim of achieving a just and lasting peace in the Middle East. I do not think that this aim would be best served by a new British initiative at this point. We shall, however, continue to watch the situation carefully.

§ Mr. Walters
Does the right hon. Gentleman agree that one of the main lessons to be learned from the tragic and horrid events in the Lebanon is that there will be no settlement but, rather, continuing instability, bloodshed and war until the rights of the Palestinians and the question of Palestinian statehood are resolved? They cannot be resolved without a peace settlement. Do not the Government intend to do something more active to try to break the present deadlock?

§ Mr. Hattersley
The hon. Gentleman's question fell into two parts. On the first part, I agree substantially that there needs to be a recognition of the special problems of the Palestinians and an understanding that they must be accommodated within any lasting settlement.
I cannot share the hon. Gentleman's view with regard to his second point. There is always a tendency in this House to expect Britain to take initiatives when they would not produce solutions but might actually complicate the prospects of success. Certainly the British Government are available to act if that seems right, but to take an ill-considered initiative is not the way in which the British Government should proceed.

§ Mr. Moonman
Despite the basis of the previous question, does not my right hon. Friend agree that the issue in the Lebanon is about the rolling forces of the Syrians and that it has less to do with the immediate circumstances associated with the Palestinians? This 525 matter must be dealt with, but I think that we are confusing the issue.

§ Mr. Hattersley
The situation in the Lebanon has been caused by forces which are far too complex to be described in answer to a supplementary question. They are partly historical and partly geographical, but certainly an element in them is the one referred to in the first supplementary question. Our hope now is that this long unresolved problem, part of which concerns the exploitation of one community by another, can be solved in a way that brings peace to that presently unhappy country and brings the tragedy to a swift end.

§ Mr. Aitken
Is the right hon. Gentleman aware that the current stage of the siege of Beirut indicates that there may soon be immediate problems of starvation and disease in that city? Will he consider, in co-operation with the European Powers, making certain contingency plans for swift relief and humanitarian action to ensure that both British subjects and the Lebanese people have, from the European end, some assistance in the tragedy, which may well become even worse?

§ Mr. Hattersley
Many citizens of Beirut are already suffering considerable deprivation, and the hon. Gentleman is right to say that the situation may well deteriorate. I assure him and the House that Her Majesty's Government are very conscious of this and are prepared to help as best we can if the situation deteriorates substantially.

Mr. Colin Jackson
Is my right hon. Friend aware that many Arab nations are deeply disappointed about the supine attitude of the British Foreign Office towards the Middle East crisis? The fact that, apparently, our policy in the past has been step by step behind Dr. Kissinger may now lose its validity completely as Dr. Kissinger may take his final step out of office.

§ Mr. Hattersley
I do not think that a policy based on our wish to do what we can as long as that is practical and right is properly to be described as "supine". I reiterate what I said earlier. There is a tendency to believe that any initiative is better than no initiative. I do not share that view.

§ Mr. Luce
Since the construction of Jewish settlements in Arab-occupied territory, quite contrary to United Nations resolutions, is likely to provoke even further conflict in the Middle East, and in view of the fact that the right hon. Gentleman has repeatedly endorsed this view, what is he doing to ensure that the Israeli Government are aware of the views of both the British Government and the European Community?

§ Mr. Hattersley
That view is generally shared by our colleagues in the EEC, and we are making it very clear to the Israeli Government. The hon. Member for Shoreham (Mr. Luce) enables me to do it at almost every Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs Question Time.