Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent discussions he has had with relevant stakeholders on the conformity of the forcible transfer of Palestinian families from their homes in East Jerusalem with international criminal and humanitarian law; and if he will make a statement.

We regularly make clear our concerns about the evictions of Palestinians from their homes in East Jerusalem to the Israeli authorities. The UK Ambassador in Tel Aviv raised ongoing demolitions with the Israeli Authorities in a meeting alongside like-minded partners on 25 February 2021. On 25 November 2020, the UK Consul General Jerusalem visited families at risk of eviction in Sheikh Jarrah, restating UK opposition to evictions of Palestinians from their homes. I raised the issue of evictions of Palestinians from their homes with the Israeli Ambassador to the UK on 29 October 2020. Our position on demolitions and evictions in the Occupied Palestinian Territories is clear. The Fourth Geneva Convention, which applies to all occupied territories, including East Jerusalem, prohibits demolitions or forced evictions absent military necessity.