Community Relations
The question
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, with reference to the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs' oral statement of 2 September 2024, Official Report, column 37, if she will make an assessment of the potential impact of suspending some arms exports to Israel on levels of community cohesion.
Answered by Alex Norris
Government is alert to the damage to community relations caused by the attack on Israel by Hamas on 7 October last year and the subsequent conflict in Gaza, and that there remains potential for events to cause this to become heightened. For this reason, my Department constantly monitors trends relating to community tensions based on information from local government, the police and civil society partners including, since 2 September, representatives of a range of Jewish community organisations. Communities have expressed a wide range of responses to the announcement on 2 September, and we understand the concerns that have been raised by some Jewish communities. We continue to engage closely with our partners across communities to provide reassurance, reduce tensions and encourage cohesion.
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