Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to protect freedom of speech in the Palestinian Territories.

Freedom of expression is a fundamental human right, and the UK is strongly committed to protecting and promoting the right to lawful freedom of speech. We have concerns about increasing restrictions on freedom of expression, and the narrowing of the space for civil society to operate, in the Occupied Palestinian Territories. Officials from our Consulate-General in Jerusalem continue to raise these concerns with the Palestinian Authority.