Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government what representations they have made to the government of Israel concerning the protection of Palestinian civilians living in areas surrounded by Israeli settlements in the Occupied Palestinian Territories.

Settlements are illegal under international law, present an obstacle to peace, and threaten the physical viability of a two-state solution. The UK condemns in the strongest terms incidents of violence by settlers against Palestinians and stresses the importance of the Israeli security forces providing appropriate protection to the Palestinian civilian population. We urge Israel to halt its settlement expansion. I [Lord (Tariq) Ahmad of Wimbledon] frequently engage with Israelis and Palestinians on this issue.