Asked by: Baroness Tonge (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the impact of demolitions by the government of Israel of Palestinian buildings on the economic prospects for Palestinians; and what steps they are taking, if any, to protect any such prospects from the risk of such demolitions.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
We are seriously concerned by increasing rates of demolition of Palestinian property by the Israeli authorities. In all but the most exceptional of circumstances demolitions are contrary to International Humanitarian Law. The practice causes unnecessary suffering to ordinary Palestinians and is harmful to the peace process. The UK is focused on preventing demolitions from happening in the first place through our legal aid programme, which supports Bedouin communities and Palestinians facing demolition or home eviction in both the West Bank and East Jerusalem. We continue to urge the Government of Israel to develop improved mechanisms for zoning, planning and permitting in Area C for the benefit of the Palestinian population, including by facilitating local Palestinian participation in such processes.
Asked by: Baroness Tonge (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the report by Defense for Children Palestine Isolated & Alone: Palestinian children held in solitary confinement by Israeli authorities for interrogation, published in December.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
We are concerned by the findings of the Defense for Children's report entitled, 'Isolated and Alone: Palestinian children held in solitary confinement by Israeli authorities for interrogation'. We remain concerned about the treatment of Palestinian children detained in Israeli prisons. Reports of the heavy use of painful restraints and the high number of Palestinian children who are not informed of their legal rights, in contravention of Israel's own regulations, are particularly concerning, as is the continued transfer of Palestinian child and adult detainees to prisons inside Israel in violation of the Fourth Geneva Convention. We remain committed to working with Israel to secure improvements to the practices surrounding children in detention. Our Embassy in Tel Aviv have a regular dialogue with Israel on this issue. We also fund projects providing legal aid to minors and capacity building to local lawyers. We continue to call on the Israeli authorities to comply with their obligations under international law.
Asked by: Baroness Tonge (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what representations they have made to the government of Israel about reports that the Israel Defence Force is using explosives to gain entry into Palestinian homes at night.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
We have not raised these specific reports with the Israeli authorities. We repeatedly call on Israel to abide by its obligations under international law and have a regular dialogue with Israel on legal issues relating to the occupation, including the Israeli security forces' rules of engagement. While we recognise Israel's legitimate need to deploy security measures, we encourage them to deploy these in a way which minimises tension and to use appropriate force.
Asked by: Baroness Tonge (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of reports of the injuries caused by the use of live ammunition by the Israel Defence Force against Palestinian minors; and what representations they have made to the government of Israel about such reports.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
We repeatedly call on Israel to abide by its obligations under international law and have a regular dialogue with Israel on legal issues relating to the occupation, including the treatment of Palestinian children. We continue to stress the importance of the Israeli security forces providing appropriate protection to the Palestinian civilian population, in particular the need to protect children, and urge restraint in the use of live fire. In instances where there have been accusations of excessive use of force, we have advocated swift, transparent investigations.
Asked by: Baroness Tonge (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what representations they have made to the government of Israel about reports that Muhammad Munir Moqbel was injured during his arrest.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
We repeatedly call on Israel to abide by its obligations under international law and have a regular dialogue with Israel on legal issues relating to the occupation, including the treatment of Palestinian children. We continue to stress the importance of the Israeli security forces providing appropriate protection to the Palestinian civilian population, in particular the need to protect children, and urge restraint in the use of live fire. In instances where there have been accusations of excessive use of force, we have advocated swift, transparent investigations.
Asked by: Baroness Tonge (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what action they have taken to prevent the construction of any illegal settlement infrastructure by the government of Israel on Palestinian territory.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
We consistently call for an immediate end to all actions that undermine the viability of the two-state solution, including settlement expansion within the West Bank. As the UK made clear on 16 October, in a joint statement alongside France, Germany, Italy and Spain, we are deeply concerned by the recent decision taken by the Israeli authorities to advance more than 4,900 settlement building units in the Occupied Palestinian Territories. The Minister for the Middle East also expressed concern about settlement advancement in Givat Hamatos on 18 November and Har Homa on 25 November. We regularly raise settlements with the Government of Israel; UK officials raised settlements with the Israeli Ambassador to the UK on 18 November. The UK's position on settlements is clear. They are illegal under international law, present an obstacle to peace, and threaten the physical viability of a two-state solution. Settlement expansion is also a counterproductive move in light of the positive developments of normalisation agreements reached between Israel, United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Sudan and Morocco.
Asked by: Baroness Tonge (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what representations they have made to the government of Israel about ensuring that any Israel Defence Force soldier who is found guilty of (1) killing, or (2) injuring, any Palestinian is sentenced appropriately.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The Government is very concerned at the high numbers of Palestinians killed and injured by Israel Defense Forces in the West Bank and Gaza. We regularly raise the issue with the Israeli authorities, encouraging them to carry out transparent investigations into whether use of live fire had been appropriate. We continue to urge the Israeli authorities to thoroughly investigate every instance and to bring those responsible to justice and to end the culture of impunity.
Asked by: Baroness Tonge (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of reports that Palestinians living in Sheikh Jarrah are being evicted by the government of Israel; and what steps they are taking in response to any such assessment.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
We are seriously concerned by increasing rates of evictions and demolition of Palestinian property by the Israeli authorities. In all but the most exceptional of circumstances they are contrary to International Humanitarian Law. The Minister for the Middle East and North Africa raised our concern about demolition of Palestinian property, and eviction of Palestinians from their homes, with the Israeli Ambassador to the UK on 29 October, and the British Embassy in Tel Aviv raises this issue regularly with the Israeli authorities. On 25 November, the UK Consul General Jerusalem visited families at risk of eviction in Sheikh Jarrah, restating UK opposition to evictions of Palestinians from their homes. The UK is focused on preventing demolitions and evictions from happening in the first place through our legal aid programme, which supports Bedouin communities and Palestinians facing demolition or home eviction in both the West Bank and East Jerusalem. We continue to urge the Government of Israel to develop improved mechanisms for zoning, planning and permitting in Area C for the benefit of the Palestinian population, including by facilitating local Palestinian participation in such processes.
Asked by: Baroness Tonge (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask Her Majesty's Government when they estimate the Dapivirine vaginal ring will be available to women (1) in the UK, and (2) abroad; and what plans they have to ensure that it is free at the point of delivery.
Answered by Lord Bethell
The Government has no specific plans to make the Dapivirine vaginal ring available to women in the United Kingdom. The Dapivirine Vaginal Ring 25mg was approved in accordance with the legal basis of Article 58 of Regulation (EC) No 726/2004. This legal basis is intended exclusively for markets outside the European community. The product is not authorised in the UK and the company have not sought a specific medical authorisation in the UK. However, the Government remains committed to reaching zero new HIV transmissions in England by 2030. Careful consideration will be given to the recommendations made in the independent HIV Commission’s recently published report on reaching the 2030 target as we develop the Sexual and Reproductive Health Strategy and HIV Action Plan, which we plan to publish in 2021.
In terms of the use of this product abroad, the decision on whether or not to use the product and its availability is a matter for national regulators. It is anticipated rollout of the Dapivirine vaginal ring to some African countries may begin by mid-2021. The cost of the ring has been kept as low as possible. The goal is for the ring to be publicly funded and provided to women at no cost.
Asked by: Baroness Tonge (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what discussions they have had with the Palestinian Authority about plans to ensure that people in Gaza receive vaccinations for COVID-19.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK will deliver on its commitment to global equitable access to safe and effective COVID-19 vaccines through our commitment to the COVAX Advanced Market Commitment (AMC). The UK has supported the Occupied Palestinian Territories (OPTs) to be included in the COVAX. Lord Ahmad most recently raised this issue with Palestinian Foreign Minister Riad al-Malki on 10th December and provided assurances that the UK will continue to coordinate closely with the Palestinian Authority to ensure vaccines are rolled out across the OPTs.
The UK is the largest funder to the COVAX AMC with a commitment of up to £548 million. This will contribute to 1 billion doses of COVID-19 vaccines for 92 developing countries in 2021, and immunisation for up to 500 million people (subject to vaccines successfully securing stringent regulatory approvals).