Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the case for giving greater weight to a durable and sustainable peace between Israelis and Palestinians by recognising Palestinian statehood.

As the Prime Minister has made clear, the UK supports a two-state solution that guarantees security and stability for both the Israeli and Palestinian people. We agree that the people of the West Bank and Gaza must be given the political perspective of a credible route to a Palestinian state and a new future. And it needs to be irreversible.

We believe that recognition of Palestinian statehood should not come at the start of a new process, but it does not have to be at the very end of the process.

We must start by resolving the immediate crisis in Gaza. Gaza is an Occupied Palestinian Territory and must be part of a future Palestinian state. However, Hamas is still in control of parts of Gaza, and Israeli hostages remain in captivity - this shows that we are still at the start of the process.

Ensuring Hamas is no longer in charge of Gaza and removing Hamas' capacity to launch attacks against Israel are essential and unavoidable steps on the road to lasting peace; as is working together to support the new Palestinian government as it takes much-needed steps on reform and resumes governance in Gaza as well as the West Bank.