Asked by: David Mowat (Conservative - Warrington South)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what assessment his Department has made of the extent of Israeli settlement-building in the occupied territories since the cessation of Operation Protective Edge.
Answered by Tobias Ellwood
Israeli settlement building in the West Bank and East Jerusalem has continued since the cessation of Operation Protective Edge. In August 2014, the Israeli Government expropriated over 1000 acres of Palestinian land near Bethlehem, the largest expropriation in 30 years. In September 2014, Israeli authorities approved 2610 units in Givat Hamatos. In 2015, according to Israeli Non-Government Office Peace Now, construction for 1800 previously-tendered housing units began in the settlements. New tenders for 1143 housing units were also published, 560 in the West Bank and 583 in East Jerusalem. 2016 has seen a number of concerning announcements, including: the extension of the Gush Etzion settlement to include the former church compound of Beit al Baraka; the declaration of 385 acres of land near Jericho as ‘state land’; and approval for a further 153 settlement units. We strongly urge the Israeli Government to reverse its policy over illegal settlements.
Asked by: David Mowat (Conservative - Warrington South)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what discussions he and officials in his Department have had with the government of Israel on the prevention of oil smuggling from wells under the control of Daesh; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Tobias Ellwood
We have briefed the Government of Israel on Coalition efforts to target and disrupt Daesh oil sales through military action and sanctions. Daesh oil sales are a complicated picture. It is known that individuals linked to the Assad regime have bought Daesh oil and there is some smuggling across borders in the region, but the majority of Daesh’s oil is refined and sold within the territory it controls. We have no evidence to suggest that Israel is buying oil from Daesh controlled oilfields.
Asked by: David Mowat (Conservative - Warrington South)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what information he has received from the Israeli authorities about progress in prosecuting the perpetrators of the arson attack in the Palestinian village of Duma in July 2015.
Answered by Tobias Ellwood
We are aware of reports that Israel’s Defence Minister said Israel knows that the Duma terror attack was committed by extremist Jews, but that legal investigations are stuck because of insufficient admissible evidence. We have called on the Israeli authorities to ensure that those responsible for this crime are brought swiftly to justice. Officials at our Embassy in Tel Aviv are closely following Israel's actions to introduce additional measures to combat settler violence.
Asked by: David Mowat (Conservative - Warrington South)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent assessment he has made of the likelihood of a two-state solution emerging in the Middle East.
Answered by Tobias Ellwood
A negotiated two state solution is the best way to end the Israeli-Palestinian conflict once and for all.
We are working closely with international partners on how we can support a renewed process. We do not underestimate the challenges, but firmly believe that if both parties show leadership, peace is possible.
Asked by: David Mowat (Conservative - Warrington South)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what representations his Department has made to the government of India about the trial of Mr Richard de Wit.
Answered by Lord Swire
The Government has not made any representations about the trial as we do not offer consular support to non-British nationals and it would not be appropriate to interfere in the legal proceedings of the Indian government.
Asked by: David Mowat (Conservative - Warrington South)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, whether staff from his Department have attended the trial of Mr Richard de Wit in Kashmir.
Answered by Lord Swire
Consular staff have provided full consular support to the family of Sarah Groves who was tragically murdered in Kashmir. Given the exceptional nature of this case, this has included accompanying them to court in Kashmir and attending key stages in the trial of Richard De Witt, the Dutch national accused of her murder.