Asked by: Cat Eccles (Labour - Stourbridge)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether he has made recent representations to his Israeli counterpart on its military strategy in Gaza.
Answered by Hamish Falconer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The Foreign Secretary continues to engage regularly with his Israeli counterparts. Following the release of US-Israeli hostage Edan Alexander on 12 May, the Foreign Secretary urged Israeli Foreign Minister Sa'ar of the need for an end to the aid blockade and for all parties to push towards an immediate ceasefire and the release of all hostages who remain in Gaza. The UK Government totally opposes an expansion of Israel's military operations in Gaza and have consistently urged the Israeli Government that a permanent ceasefire remains the only way to return all the remaining hostages and ensure Hamas has no future role in Gaza. On 20 May, the Foreign Secretary announced that we have suspended negotiations with the Israeli government on a new free trade agreement, decided to review cooperation with them under the 2030 Bilateral Roadmap, and imposed further sanctions on settlers.
Asked by: Cat Eccles (Labour - Stourbridge)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps he is taking to help tackle settler violence in the West Bank.
Answered by Hamish Falconer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
Settler violence is unacceptable, and settlements are illegal under international law. The Foreign Secretary has been clear with Israeli ministers that they must clamp down on settler violence and end settler expansion and has previously met with Palestinian communities in the West Bank to hear how they are affected. On 15 October 2024, the Foreign Secretary announced sanctions targeting three illegal settler outposts and four organisations that have supported and sponsored violence against communities in the West Bank. These measures will help bring accountability to those who have supported and perpetrated such heinous abuses of human rights. As I reiterated in the House on 29 April, we call for an end to settlement expansion and settler violence.