Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, if he will make an assessment of the potential effects of the imposition of economic sanctions on Israel on that country's (a) actions towards and (b) relations with the areas governed by the Palestinian Authority since the beginning of Israel's current military action in Gaza.

We have not made an assessment of the potential effects of the imposition of economic sanction on Israel, as the UK does not believe that imposing sanctions on Israel would be a constructive step. We enjoy a close and productive relationship with Israel which enables us to express our views at senior levels very frankly. It is our assessment that imposing sanctions on Israel would lessen this influence, not increase it, and would not promote the urgent progress towards a two-state solution of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict which we want to see.