To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what reports he has received on the likely timetable for lifting the blockade of Gaza; and what steps he is taking with his counterparts in the EU and elsewhere to bring this about.
Answered on
11 September 2015
During the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my right hon. Friend the Member for Runnymede and Weybridge (Mr Hammond)'s visit to the region in July, he urged the Israeli Government to ease restrictions on Gaza and for the parties to prioritise progress towards a durable solution, including taking the necessary steps to advance construction and economic development. Our Embassy in Tel Aviv and our Consulate-General in Jerusalem have frequently urged Israel to go further in easing movement and access restrictions on Gaza and for the Palestinian Authority to make progress on resuming control in Gaza. We welcome the steps that Israel has taken to ease some restrictions, for example on the water supply and food exports. However, we want to see Israel go much further, and we continue to call on Israel to do so. We will continue to work closely with international partners including the EU to promote a durable solution for Gaza.