Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what representations he has had made to the Palestinian Authority on (a) its decision to prevent Palestinian LGBTQ group Al Qaws from holding events in the West Bank and (b) the effect of that decision on the LGBTQ community in the West Bank.

​The Government shares your concern about the Palestinian Police statement banning LGBT activities, which has now been removed. Officials from our British Consulate-General in Jerusalem raised our concerns with the Palestinian Authorities and directly engaged with Al Qaws and international partners on this matter. We will continue to encourage all governments to respect the rights of LGBT people, especially those that criminalise homosexuality and those that fail to defend the rights of LGBT people against social prejudice and violence.