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 ensure that Palestinian elections can go ahead in May 2021 freely as planned.

The UK is working closely with the Palestinian Authority and international partners to support Palestinian elections. The Foreign Secretary met Palestinian Foreign Minister Dr Riad Malki on 22 April and urged parties to continue towards free and fair elections. I spoke to the Israeli Ambassador to the UK on 19 April to reiterate the importance of Palestinians living in East Jerusalem being permitted to vote in Palestinian Legislative Council elections. We will continue to encourage the Palestinian leadership to work toward strong, inclusive, accountable and democratic institutions, based on respect for the rule of law and human rights.