Revealed: MPs debate Israel twice as much as they discuss the NHS

The figures on parliamentary “contributions” – which are counted as a speech, an oral question or an intervention in a debate, both positive and negative – have prompted deep concern among politicians, and Jewish activists and leaders.

Former Labour MP Louise Ellman said: “The obsession with Israel and the Palestinians crowds out the space for debate on other hugely important issues. It sends a signal to media organisations that their own distorted and biased reporting – epitomised by the failure to label Hamas’ crimes as terrorism – is somehow legitimate.

“And, most worryingly, most of these debates do not explore the complexities of the situation. They all too often feed a narrative that robs the Israeli people of their humanity and permits the Palestinian leadership to deny their own responsibility.”

New Liberal Democrat MP Mike Martin also criticised the over-emphasis on Israel’s conflicts in a column for the JC, adding that when it comes to the UK’s security, and its strategic interests, Ukraine is far more important.

Russell Langer, director of public affairs at the Jewish Leadership Council (JLC), also condemned the way that parliamentary discussions “echo the imbalance” seen in non-stop Gaza street protests.

An example of positive contributions on the subject was Labour MP Mike Tapp’s statement on July 30, in which he argued that the government “should be helping Israel as much as we can to defend itself” from Iran-backed terrorist groups. By contrast, MP Zarah Sultana stated on the anniversary of October 7 that Israel’s actions in Gaza amounted to a “genocide”. The tendency to devote more time to Israel than Ukraine stands in contrast to the huge material aid that the UK has provided Kyiv in its fight against Russia.

The governments of both Rishi Sunak and Sir Keir Starmer – prime ministers during the period the research was undertaken – have both expressed vocal support for Ukraine and provided it with £12.8 billion in military and non-military support since the start of the conflict in 2022.

According to a House of Lords report, the civil war in Sudan between the government armed forces and paramilitary group the Rapid Support Forces has resulted in the deaths of at least 15,000 people. However, that is thought to be a conservative estimate and the casualty figure could be as high as 150,000 people. According to humanitarian charity the International Rescue Committee, more than 11 million people have been displaced from their homes.

By contrast, Gaza’s Hamas-run health ministry claims that there have been nearly 44,000 deaths in the Strip, but it does not distinguish between civilians and terrorists. In May, Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu claimed that half of the casualties in Gaza were “combatants”.

Parliamentarians’ attention was similarly focused on Israel during parliamentary questions.

These are both oral – made in the chamber of the House of Commons – and written, submitted by MPs outside the chamber for relevant ministers to answer.

In the same time period, there were 1,173 Parliamentary Questions relating to Israel as opposed to 407 on Ukraine, 164 on Sudan and 512 on the NHS.

The picture was not significantly different when it came to urgent questions – queries which MPs have to submit to the office of the Speaker of the House of Commons for later discussion with the involvement of a government minister.

According to official guidance, in order to be judged urgent “a question should relate to a very recent or imminent event or development on which a minister may reasonably be expected to provide an answer that day.

“The matter raised in the question must be important in terms of public policy, and must have more than a local or temporary significance.

“Matters of current debate in the media don’t automatically pass these tests.”

During the time period in question, 13 urgent questions were granted by the Speaker on Israel in comparison to seven on Ukraine, three on Sudan and just one on the NHS.

Martin said in a column for the JC that “the foreign secretary, David Lammy, told me in the Chamber last month that he had spent more time on Gaza than any other issue since the election in July” and that “when it comes to the UK’s security, and its strategic interests, Ukraine, Russia and European security is an order of magnitude more important”.
Reacting to the JC’s findings, Langer said: “We expect the Israel-Hamas conflict to be given due attention by our MPs but these figures confirm that it is often subject to far more parliamentary scrutiny than other matters of foreign policy.“Too often, entire sessions of Foreign Office questions are dominated by this single subject.
“Over the past year, we have raised with MPs the need to question why it is only conflict involving the sole Jewish state which brings out mass protest.
“Unfortunately, it appears too many in parliament wish to echo this imbalance.”
A spokesperson for the Speaker, Sir Lindsay Hoyle, told the JC: “It would not be appropriate for us to comment on the content of questions that Members of Parliament or the government make.”