Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent assessment he has made of the stability of the Fatah-Hamas Unity government in the Palestinian Authority.

Since its formation, the Palestinian interim technocratic government has faced considerable challenges threatening its stability – including the conflict in Gaza over the summer, ongoing internal Palestinian political tensions, the challenge of extending Palestinian Authority (PA) control over Gaza, and reconstructing Gaza. The government remains fragile and has a huge task in front of it in reuniting Gaza and the West Bank.

The UK welcomed the formation of the interim technocratic government in June, and has strongly supported government efforts to reconstruct Gaza and re-establish PA authority there.