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Proceeding contribution from Lord Arbuthnot of Edrom (Conservative) in the House of Commons on Monday, 16 May 2011. It occurred during Debate on Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan and Pakistan.


Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan and Pakistan

I agree that that is very important. I asked the Prime Minister a month or so ago whether he was concerned that when the President of the Palestinian Authority called for elections, Hamas immediately rejected that—Hamas having been a democratically elected organisation that renounced democracy once its mandate had expired. I agree, however, that the notion of bringing democracy back to Hamas would be a welcome change. Unfortunately, I think there is a risk that in the British Foreign Office the view is that this is a matter of shades of grey as opposed to black and white. For Israel it is not a matter of shades of grey. Israel has been struggling to secure itself and just to exist. When it comes to murdering schoolchildren, which Hamas went in for, that cannot be regarded as shades of grey.


Secondary information

Type
Proceeding contribution
Reference
528 c98 
Session
2010-12
Chamber / Committee
House of Commons chamber
Subjects
Armed forces Deployment Development aid Democracy Human rights Foreign relations Politics and government Pakistan UN resolutions Afghanistan NATO Israel Civil disorder Palestine Syria Middle East Yemen Libya North Africa
Link
View this Proceeding contribution on www.publications.parliament.uk