Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
What discussions he has had with Cabinet colleagues on the potential merits of advising UK businesses against trading with illegal settlements as a disincentive to Israeli settlement building in the occupied Palestinian territories.
The UK’s position on settlements is clear. They are illegal under international law, present an obstacle to peace, and threaten the physical viability of a two-state solution.
The UK and Israel have a strong and important trading relationship and we are firmly opposed to boycotts or sanctions. But we do not recognise the Occupied Palestinian Territories, including the settlements, as part of Israel.
We urge Israel to halt settlement expansion immediately.
Ultimately it will be the decision of an individual or company whether to operate in settlements in the Occupied Palestinian Territories, but the British Government would neither encourage nor offer support to such activity.