Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 10 March to Question 34309, what steps his Department has taken to promote accountability for attacks on schools in the Occupied Palestinian Territory by (a) Israeli forces and (b) Israeli settlers.

Education is a human right. It expands choices and enables children to live lives that they value. The vital work of the United Nations Relief and Work Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) in ensuring that Palestinians have access to education and healthcare must be protected in Gaza as well as the West Bank and East Jerusalem. Children's access to education must continue uninterrupted. The Foreign Secretary and I have also made clear our concerns about the current Israeli military operations in the West Bank and stressed the need for civilians and civilian infrastructure to be protected. We recognise Israel's security concerns, but it must show restraint and ensure its operations are commensurate to the threat posed. We are also clear that the Israeli government must crack down on settler violence, stop settlement expansion and not annex the West Bank.

On 15 October 2024, the Foreign Secretary announced sanctions targeting three illegal settler outposts and four organisations that have supported and sponsored violence against communities in the West Bank. These measures will help bring accountability to those who have supported and perpetrated such heinous abuses of human rights. We continue to keep these issues under review. It would not be appropriate to speculate about any potential future sanctions designations as to do so could reduce their impact.