Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government what representations they have made to the government of Israel to protect the freedom of worship and property of Palestinian Muslims in occupied Hebron, in view of the closure of the Ibrahimi mosque to Muslims for two days for Jewish Passover activities during Ramadan.

The UK is committed to defending Freedom of Religion or Belief (FoRB) for all and promoting respect between different religious and non-religious communities. Our Embassy in Tel Aviv regularly raises issues of religious freedom with the Israeli Government. We continue to call on all sides to ensure those of all faiths in Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territories are able to practise their faiths in peace and security. We engage the Israeli authorities to ensure access to the holy sites for Palestinians across the OPTs. As set out in the House of Commons on 24 April by Andrew Mitchell, Secretary of State for Development and Africa, we welcome Israel's decision to prevent non-Muslims from visiting al-Aqsa mosque during the final days of Ramadan, which we regard as an important de-escalatory act.