Occupied Territories
(asked on 30th October 2014) - View Source
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is their assessment of the decision by the government of Israel to build a further 1,000 homes in East Jerusalem; and whether they intend to raise the matter at the European Union Council of Ministers.
This question was answered on 6th November 2014
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my hon. Friend the Member for Bournemouth East (Mr Ellwood), issued a statement on 29 October condemning the announcement of plans for 1060 new housing units in East Jerusalem. He made clear that this was an ill-judged and ill-timed decision, which makes it harder to achieve a two state solution with Jerusalem as a shared capital. We will continue to work closely with European partners to discourage settlement expansion, and discussions are currently underway in Brussels to that end.
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my hon. Friend the Member for Bournemouth East (Mr Ellwood), issued a statement on 29 October condemning the announcement of plans for 1060 new housing units in East Jerusalem. He made clear that this was an ill-judged and ill-timed decision, which makes it harder to achieve a two state solution with Jerusalem as a shared capital. We will continue to work closely with European partners to discourage settlement expansion, and discussions are currently underway in Brussels to that end.