Asked by: Tonia Antoniazzi (Labour - Gower)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to help promote dialogue between Israel and the Palestinian Authority.
Answered by David Rutley - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
We urge the Israeli and Palestinian leadership to take urgent action to de-escalate the growing tensions in the West Bank. We welcome the communique agreed by Israel and the Palestinians at Aqaba on 26 February, and thank the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan for hosting. The Minister for the Middle East, Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon, has consistently offered UK support in progressing dialogue between Israel and the Palestinians, including in his meetings with Israeli Foreign Minister Eli Cohen, Palestinian Prime Minister Mohammed Shtayyeh and Foreign Minister Riad Malki, during his visit to Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territories on 10-13 January, and during his regular engagement with the Israeli Ambassador, most recently on 16 February.
Asked by: Tonia Antoniazzi (Labour - Gower)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, with reference to the report by the International Truth and Justice Project, entitled Sri Lanka: Torture and Sexual Violence by Security Forces 2020-21, published in September 2021, what steps her Department is taking to support the Tamil population of Sri Lanka; and what steps her Department is taking in response to the recommendations for UN member states in that report.
Answered by Amanda Milling - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury
The UK Government takes very seriously the allegations of torture and sexual violence in the report 'Sri Lanka: Torture and Sexual Violence by Security Forces 2020-2021'.
The Minister for South Asia, Lord (Tariq) Ahmad of Wimbledon, has raised the importance of these issues on several occasions with the Sri Lankan High Commissioner and the Sri Lankan Foreign Minister G.L. Peiris. During his visit to Sri Lanka of 18-20 January, he raised serious concerns around the deteriorating human rights situation when he met the President, Foreign Minister, and other members of the Sri Lankan Government. The Foreign Secretary raised the importance of upholding human rights when she met Foreign Minister Peiris on 26 October 2021.
We will continue to support the monitoring of the human rights situation and accountability in Sri Lanka by the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) as mandated by the UN Human Rights Council resolution 46/1 on promoting reconciliation, accountability and human rights in Sri Lanka.
Asked by: Tonia Antoniazzi (Labour - Gower)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, if he will seek urgently the establishment of a UN-led investigation in to the recent actions of the Israeli Government towards protesters in Palestine.
Answered by Alistair Burt
As our Ambassador to the UN said at the UN Security Council emergency meeting on 15 May, we "want to reiterate our support for independent and transparent investigations into the events that have taken place in Gaza on 14 May and in recent weeks". This includes the extent to which the Israeli security forces' rules of engagement are in line with international law and what role Hamas played in events. The UK will judge any proposal for an investigation on its merits.
Asked by: Tonia Antoniazzi (Labour - Gower)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent discussions he has had with the Governments of the UK Overseas Territories on creating fully enforced Marine Protected Areas in their waters.
Answered by Alan Duncan
The Government's Blue Belt commitment is ensuring that large scale Marine Protected Areas which have been designated, or are being developed, around the UK Overseas Territories (OTs) are effectively managed, monitored and enforced. We are working with the OTs Governments to implement effective monitoring and cost efficient enforcement strategies to ensure long-term protection against illegal activities. This issue was last discussed at the November Joint Ministerial Council.
Asked by: Tonia Antoniazzi (Labour - Gower)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent discussions he has had with his counterparts in the Governments of UK Overseas Territories on creating fully enforced Marine Protected Areas in their waters.
Answered by Alan Duncan
The Communique, agreed by the Overseas Territories at the Joint Ministerial Council, held in November 2017, welcomed the progress towards creating a 'Blue Belt' of protected ocean around the Overseas Territories.