Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask Her Majesty's Government what representations they have made to the government of Israel about its decision to allow Israeli citizens to register land deeds in Area C of the West Bank; and what assessment they have made of that decision.

​We are very concerned about the granting of further rights and privileges to Israelis living in the Occupied Palestinian Territories. We recognise that Palestinians face severe difficulty in securing building permissions for homes and infrastructure in East Jerusalem and Area C. Practically, this leaves Palestinians with little option but to build without permission, placing their homes at risk of demolition on the grounds they do not have a permit. We continue to urge the Government of Israel to develop improved mechanisms for zoning, planning and permitting in Area C for the benefit of the Palestinian population, including by facilitating local Palestinian participation in such processes. Officials from our Embassy in Tel Aviv did so most recently on 10 December 2019.