Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the statistics compiled by the Palestinian Grassroots Anti-Apartheid Wall Camping coalition which suggest that over 8,400 olive trees have been uprooted or burned by the Israel Defense Forces and Israeli settlers in the West Bank in 2020.

We are aware of the difficulties facing Palestinian olive growers. Attacks on olive groves are particularly painful to Palestinians given their status as a national symbol and the sole source of income for many Palestinian farmers. We have expressed our concerns to the Government of Israel and security officials about the destruction of olive trees and the prevention of access to them on a number of occasions. The UK condemns any incidence of violence by settlers against Palestinians. We continue to stress the importance of the Israeli security forces providing appropriate protection to the Palestinian civilian population. We urge them to thoroughly investigate every instance and bring those responsible to justice.