Asked by: Christian Wakeford (Labour - Bury South)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment he has made of the implications of his policies of the February 2021 International Criminal Court ruling on the scope of the ICC’s territorial jurisdiction in the West Bank, Gaza and East Jerusalem.
Answered by James Cleverly - Shadow Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government
We closely follow the important work of the International Criminal Court and are looking at the implications of this decision.
Asked by: Christian Wakeford (Labour - Bury South)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what discussions he has had with his Israeli counterpart on the International Criminal Court’s ruling of 5 February 2021 that the Court has jurisdiction over war crimes committed in Palestinian territories.
Answered by James Cleverly - Shadow Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government
We closely follow the important work of the International Criminal Court and are looking at the implications of this decision.
Asked by: Christian Wakeford (Labour - Bury South)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment he has made of the Palestinian Authority’s ability to deliver public services within the Palestinian Territories.
Answered by James Cleverly - Shadow Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government
Under International Humanitarian Law, Israel, as the Occupying Power, has the duty of ensuring and maintaining public health and hygiene in the Occupied Palestinian Territories (OPTs) to the fullest extent of the means available and with the cooperation of the local authorities. The UK's long standing position is that we support the Oslo Accords that set out a process for the gradual and incremental transfer of a range of responsibilities to the Palestinian Authority. We therefore welcome the restoration of cooperation between the Government of Israel and Palestinian Authority, which shows both sides are willing to put the needs and security of Israelis and Palestinians first. UK support in the OPTs also helps to build Palestinian institutions, deliver essential services and support economic development. Our financial assistance supports a stable Palestinian Authority which can act as an effective partner for peace with Israel and can deliver essential services to Palestinians.
Asked by: Christian Wakeford (Labour - Bury South)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what the Government’s policy is on long-term funding for the UN Relief and Works Agency.
Answered by James Cleverly - Shadow Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government
The UK is a long-term supporter of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) which provides protection and core services to Palestinian refugees across the region.?We have consistently been a top donor to UNRWA, providing £51 million in 2020. As announced on 26 November, in order to maximise our strategic focus in the use of Official Development Assistance (ODA) next year, the Foreign Secretary will lead a short cross-government process to review, appraise and finalise all of the UK's ODA allocations. Decisions on support for UNRWA will be taken as part of this process.