Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask Her Majesty's Government, in the context of international law, what assessment they have made of the case for referring the government of Israel to the International Criminal Court if the demolition of Khan al-Ahmar goes ahead; what factors they have taken into account in any such assessment; and what arrangements, if any, they have made to make such a referral.

We have not made an assessment of this. The UK remains deeply concerned about Israel’s planned demolition of the village of Khan al-Ahmar. Khan al-Ahmar is located in an area of strategic importance for the contiguity of a future Palestinian state. Its demolition threatens a major blow to the prospects for a two-state solution. At Prime Minister’s Questions on 17 October, the Prime Minister reiterated the UK’s strong opposition to Israel’s proposed demolition of Khan al-Ahmar. The Minister for the Middle East and North Africa raised our concerns with the Israeli Ambassador to the UK on 11 October.