West Bank Julie Elliott (Sunderland Central) (Lab) 5. What
estimate he has made of the number of instances of demolitions,
settlement expansion and land appropriation in the west bank.
[901175] The Minister for the Middle East (Alistair Burt) We
are gravely concerned by demolitions, by the eviction of
Palestinians and by the increased pace of settlement advancement,
including the...Request free trial
West Bank
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(Sunderland Central)
(Lab)
5. What estimate he has made of the number of instances of
demolitions, settlement expansion and land appropriation in
the west bank. [901175]
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The Minister for the Middle East (Alistair Burt)
We are gravely concerned by demolitions, by the eviction of
Palestinians and by the increased pace of settlement
advancement, including the discussions this week of plans for
3,000 new settlements units to be constructed on the west
bank. Such actions undermine both the physical viability of
the two-state solution and Israel’s commitment to it.
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I thank the Minister for that answer. I recently visited the
communities of Khan al-Ahmar and Susiya in Area C of the west
bank, both of which are under threat of demolition. I was
surprised that both have received significant investment from
the EU and therefore from the British taxpayer. Will the
Minister tell me what representations he has made to the
Israeli Government about that?
-
I visited Susiya in August to talk to members of the
community about the pressures that they were under. We
maintain a continued interest in legal arguments in relation
to both Khan al-Ahmar and Susiya, and we regularly make it
clear to the Israeli authorities that activities there and
other settlement actions are deeply concerning, and undermine
the intentions that we all have for a viable two-state
solution and a movement towards peace.
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(Hertsmere)
(Con)
I join the Minister in agreeing that such settlements are not
in any way conducive to peace, but does he agree that what is
required in the end is a negotiated settlement involving the
other countries in the region? That will inevitably involve
an element of land swap, which the Palestinians have accepted
in the past.
-
It does and, as many of us are aware, the outline of the
parameters of a peace agreement, including some degree of
land swaps, is known. However, the encroachment in recent
years of Israeli settlements on areas well beyond those
anticipated to be part of a future land swap undermines the
credibility of the so-called commitment to that answer.
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Dr (Central Ayrshire)
(SNP)
17. It is 100 years since the Balfour declaration promised
not just a Jewish homeland but to protect the rights of
non-Jewish communities in Palestine. What I saw on the west
bank during my recent visit amounts to conquest by concrete
and totally undermines any possibility of a two-state
solution. With Palestinian reconciliation providing new
impetus, will the UK Government recognise their
responsibility to re-establish a meaningful peace process?
[901188]
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We work extremely hard to play our part in fulfilling that
second half of the Balfour declaration. I met one of the
negotiators appointed by President Trump at the United
Nations General Assembly in New York, and I was recently in
Israel to talk to people there. We believe it is absolutely
essential to make progress on the middle east peace process,
which is not something to be managed but something to be
solved, and the United Kingdom is bending all its efforts to
seek to do so, particularly in this sensitive year.
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(Enfield North) (Lab)
23. [R] Does the Minister agree that Hezbollah poses a
serious threat to Israel’s security and presents a
significant barrier to peace in the middle east? Does he
share my concern about recent reports that Iran has been
constructing rocket factories for Hezbollah in Lebanon, and
that the terrorists now have weapons capable of hitting any
part of Israel? [901194]
-
The short answer is yes. Hezbollah appears to have been
rearmed in recent years, and the conflict in Syria has
provided the opportunity for Iran to supply more weapons—and
more dangerous weapons—to Hezbollah. The possibility of a
confrontation remains high. Those who have been committed to
violence should renounce that commitment and make progress on
reconciliation among the Palestinians on that basis, and all
the parties involved should seek the peace we all want in the
region.
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(Reigate)
(Con)
Did my right hon. Friend notice ’s remarks over
the weekend in which he recognised that the
international community was wrong not to enter into
dialogue with Hamas when it was elected in 2006? In the
light of the deal between Hamas and Fatah that has been
brokered by Egypt, is there not now another opportunity
to engage Hamas in a dialogue in order to draw it into
a constructive position and at least have a chance of
making it a more constructive player?
-
I am grateful to my hon. Friend for that question; he
brings great learning to this subject. In the end, there
might be the prospect of Hamas being brought in—of course
that must be right—but before that can happen it has to
renounce terror, to recognise Israel’s right to exist, to
cease and desist from vile and anti-Semitic propaganda
and to abide by the Quartet principles. Nevertheless,
what he says has a profound truth; if only Hamas would
listen to it and act on what he says.
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(Preseli
Pembrokeshire) (Con)
I strongly welcome the Foreign Secretary’s earlier
remarks about Hamas, but does he share my deep
concern about the groups linked to Islamic State that
now have a presence in Gaza and Sinai and that, even
in recent days, have been firing rockets into
southern Israel?
-
I thank my right hon. Friend for his question.
Absolutely—rooting out those terrorist organisations
in Gaza and Sinai is hugely important, not only for
those who live in the immediate target area but for
wider regional peace. There can be no peace without a
rejection of violence, particularly rocket attacks in
relation to Israel, but there are indications that
something is going on that may help the process of
peace in the area.
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I seek an apology from the Minister for Europe
and the Americas, the right hon. Member for
Rutland and Melton (Sir Alan Duncan), who is no
longer in his seat. The SNP did not send official
observers to the Catalonian referendum. The
Catalonian Government invited observers from
across Europe and the Israeli Knesset. In
addition to me, other Members of the House and a
peer of the House of Lords, , were
present. We were there as international
parliamentary observers, just as Conservative
Members were in Gibraltar in 2002 at the request
of the Gibraltar Government, despite that being
an illegal referendum. I would like an apology
and the record set straight.
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