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 regional office for the Eastern Mediterranean of the World Health Organisation entitled Increasing attacks on health care and health worker testimony, what assessment he has made of the implications for his policies of the Palestine Red Crescent Society providing bullet-proof vests, helmets and tear-gas masks to its teams following alleged incidents of direct targeting of health workers by Israeli forces.

The work of healthcare workers across the globe is vital and they must be protected when carrying out their critical work. During his call on 4 July with the Israeli chargé d'affaires in London, the Minister of State for the Middle East, Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon, urged Israel to safeguard access to healthcare and take proactive steps to guarantee the safety of civilians during Israeli operations in the West Bank. When the Foreign Secretary spoke with Israeli Foreign Minister Eli Cohen on July 5, he raised the UK's concerns about attacks on civilian infrastructure during their recent operation in Jenin.