Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the proposed reduction in the powers of the Supreme Court in Israel by the new government of that country; particularly in respect of the laws regarding Israeli settlements in the West Bank.

Constitutional reforms are by-and-large a matter for the Israeli people and their government, however the UK believes strongly in the principle of an independent judiciary and Israel is rightly proud of its history as a Jewish and democratic state. The UK's position on settlements is clear, as set out in a statement made by the Foreign Ministers of France, Germany and Italy, the Foreign Secretary of the UK, and the Secretary of State of the US on 14 February . They are illegal under international law, present an obstacle to peace, and threaten the physical viability of a two-state solution. In terms of the law which applies to Israeli settlements in the Occupied Palestinian Territories, it has long been the UK government's view that Israel's presence in the Occupied Palestinian Territories is governed by the provisions of the Fourth Geneva Convention of 1949, to which Israel is a state party. We repeatedly call on Israel to abide by its obligations under international law and we have a regular dialogue with Israel on legal issues relating to the occupation.