Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, whether he has made an assessment of the effect on the viability of the Middle East peace process of (a)(i) Fatah describing as a hero and (ii) Hamas announcing great pride in a terrorist whose shooting of a pregnant woman led to the death of her child and (b) other recent examples of the culture of radicalisation in Palestinian society; and if he will make a statement.

​We are gravely concerned by the ongoing and increasing violence in the West Bank. We condemn recent the terrorist attacks in the Old City of Jerusalem and in the West Bank and have called for the cycle of violence to end. We are deeply concerned by continued incitement against Israel by Hamas and other actors we are clear the glorification of terrorists as “martyrs” is a barrier to peace and we condemn such glorifications. The calls for the murder of Palestinian politicians are also completely unacceptable. President Abbas and the Palestinian Authority have repeatedly demonstrated their commitment to non-violence and a negotiated two-state solution. It is important that the Palestinian leadership continue efforts to fully implement the recommendations of the Quartet Report regarding incitement. The Government is committed to making progress towards a two-state solution, and we will continue to press the parties to refrain from actions that make peace more difficult.