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The National
3 days ago
- Politics
- The National
BBC Question Time audience member in fiery Israel exchange with Labour MP
Thursday night's programme, hosted by Fiona Bruce, featured Labour MP and Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander, Conservative MP David Simmonds, LibDem MP Jess Brown-Fuller and journalists Ava-Santina Evans and Tim Montgomerie. A woman in the audience hit out at the Labour Government's continued sale of arms to Israel. Addressing Alexander, the woman said: "I feel such a sense of betrayal from the Labour Party. I would never vote Tory, I would never vote Ukip, and I used to vote Labour. "Why are you still friends with Israel, an apartheid state? And why is the Labour Party still sending components of F-35 weapons to Israel that are killing, targeting babies, children, hospitals, schools? READ MORE: Gaza ceasefire talks continue as Israel issues forced displacement orders "Enough of this rhetoric about being anti-Semitic, if you support Palestinian babies–" The woman was then cut off by host Fiona Bruce, who asked Alexander to respond. Alexander started: "We're not sending F-35 components directly to Israel–" The audience member interjected: "You are still sending components of F-35 weapons to Israel, yes you are. "You have reduced weapons by only 8% to Israel, by 8%." The National previously reported how Labour licensed exports of more military equipment to Israel in the final three months of 2024 than the Tories did for all of 2020-2023. Bruce then said: "I hear your passion, I must let her answer." READ MORE: The National nominated for three Refugee Media Awards Alexander responded: "I find it as sickening and as harrowing as every single person in this audience seeing those images on the television of children wandering around rubble who are never going to find their parents, and who are being starved to death." The audience member could be heard shouting: "Then do something!" Alexander continued: "That is why we have got to find a way of bringing a sustainable solution to the region, a lasting peace, and getting significant humanitarian aid in. "None of us want to wake up tomorrow and see those scenes on our television screens, and I think every single one of us on that panel would agree with that sentiment." The audience then gave a round of applause.
The National
3 days ago
- Politics
- The National
BBC Question Time audience member applauded after fiery Gaza exchange
Thursday night's programme, hosted by Fiona Bruce, featured Labour MP and Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander, Conservative MP David Simmonds, LibDem MP Jess Brown-Fuller and journalists Ava-Santina Evans and Tim Montgomerie. A woman in the audience hit out at the Labour Government's continued sale of arms to Israel. READ MORE: Gaza ceasefire talks continue as Israel issues forced displacement orders Addressing Alexander, the woman said: "I feel such a sense of betrayal from the Labour Party. I would never vote Tory, I would never vote Ukip, and I used to vote Labour. "Why are you still friends with Israel, an apartheid state? And why is the Labour Party still sending components of F-35 weapons to Israel that are killing, targeting babies, children, hospitals, schools? "Enough of this rhetoric about being anti-Semitic, if you support Palestinian babies–" The woman was then cut off by host Fiona Bruce, who asked Alexander to respond. Alexander started: "We're not sending F-35 components directly to Israel–" The audience member interjected: "You are still sending components of F-35 weapons to Israel, yes you are. "You have reduced weapons by only 8% to Israel, by 8%." The National previously reported how Labour licensed exports of more military equipment to Israel in the final three months of 2024 than the Tories did for all of 2020-2023. Bruce then said: "I hear your passion, I must let her answer." READ MORE: The National nominated for three Refugee Media Awards Alexander responded: "I find it as sickening and as harrowing as every single person in this audience seeing those images on the television of children wandering around rubble who are never going to find their parents, and who are being starved to death. "That is why we have got to find a way of bringing a sustainable solution to the region, a lasting peace, and getting significant humanitarian aid in. "None of us want to wake up tomorrow and see those scenes on our television screens, and I think every single one of us on that panel would agree with that sentiment." The audience then gave a round of applause.
The National
3 days ago
- Politics
- The National
Gaza ceasefire talks continue as Hamas reviews proposals
The plan, put forward by the US, includes a 60-day ceasefire, the release of 28 Israeli hostages within the first week in exchange for the 1236 Palestinian hostages and the remains of 180 dead Palestinians. The deal also includes sending humanitarian aid into Gaza, to be delivered by the UN, Red Crescent and other agencies, as well as Israel ceasing all military operations in Gaza as soon as the truce takes effect. READ MORE: The National nominated for three Refugee Media Awards Israel said it has agreed to the proposal, while Hamas has said it does not satisfy the group's core demands, including guarantees that the temporary truce will lead to a permanent ceasefire. A senior official said Hamas was reviewing the plan and would be in touch with mediators in due course. It comes as Israel issued forced displacement orders for five more areas in north Gaza. The Israeli army's Arabic language spokesperson said on Twitter/X that Palestinians in the Atatra, Jabalia Al-Balad, Shujaiya, Daraj and Zeitoun areas of Gaza must leave immediately and move west. Israel has been systematically clearing out parts of the Gaza Strip with forced displacement orders, pushing the Palestinian population into smaller and smaller areas of the enclave. Earlier this month, the Israeli government approved plans to capture the entire Gaza Strip and remain in the territory for an unspecified amount of time. And on Thursday, Israel said it plans to establish 22 new illegal settlements in the occupied West Bank. Israel has already built well over 100 settlements across the territory that are home to some 500,000 settlers. The settlements range from small hilltop outposts to fully developed communities with blocks of flats, shopping centres, factories, and public parks. Settlements have been widely condemned by the international community as illegal, with the UK Government announcing sanctions last week on three people and four organisations in the settler movement.
