Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent discussions he has held with his Israeli counterparts on ensuring that actions in the Occupied Palestinian Territory comply with international law.

We have always been clear that a ceasefire is just the first step towards a lasting solution to this crisis. We must build confidence on all sides that helps sustain a ceasefire and move it into a lasting peace. This government is fully committed to international law and continues to press the Israeli government on issues of international law compliance. This government has suspended relevant export licences to Israel for use in military operations in the Gaza conflict, following a review of Israel's compliance and commitment to International Humanitarian Law (IHL), which concluded that there was a clear risk they might be used to commit or facilitate serious violations of IHL. Separately, this government respects the independence of the International Court of Justice. We continue to consider the Court's Advisory Opinion on Israel's occupation of the Occupied Palestinian Territories (OPTs) carefully. We are of the clear view that Israel should bring an end to its presence in the OPTs as rapidly as possible - but this must be done in a way that creates the conditions for negotiations towards the two-state solution.