Palestine

Lord Wright of Richmond Excerpts

Thursday 3rd February 2011 Lords Chamber

[Lord Wallace of Saltaire]

My Lords, the noble Baroness asks a large number of questions and I will try to answer some of them. The expansion of the settlements across East Jerusalem is illegal under both international and Israeli law, and we deplore that. We recognise the current push for the recognition of a Palestinian state, but such a state needs to be in control of its own territory and to have secure borders. Palestine is still under Israeli occupation and Israel is still the occupying power.

[Lord Wright of Richmond]

My Lords, the reports to which the noble Baroness referred make it abundantly clear that, at the moment, Mr Netanyahu’s Government are not prepared to make any moves on a Middle East peace process in spite of some remarkable compromises apparently made by the Palestinian negotiators. Does the Minister not agree that it is time to recognise publicly that a two-state solution is the only possible remedy for the future of the Israeli and Palestinian peoples? Please may I ask one specific question? There have been press reports that the Government are considering upgrading the status of the Palestinian General Delegation in London to that of a full diplomatic mission. Can the Minister tell us where that now stands and will he do what he can to make it urgent?

[Lord Wallace of Saltaire]

My Lords, that was also a large number of questions. As the noble Lord will understand, it is not the policy of Her Majesty’s Government to comment on leaked documents. The status of the Palestinian papers is still not entirely clear. It remains the settled policy of this Government, as it was of previous British Governments, that a two-state solution of a viable Palestinian state with secure boundaries is the only way to secure a peaceful solution between the two sides.

On the question of the Palestinian General Delegation in London, we are aware of the steps that some other EU member states have taken to upgrade its status in their capitals to diplomatic missions. The same request has been made to the UK, which we are considering in accordance with our long support for Palestinian stakeholding. No decision has yet been taken.