To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of (1) the statement from US state department spokesman Ned Price on 26 October that the government of the USA “strongly opposed the expansion of settlements”, and (2) the diplomatic implications of (a) the final approval by an Israeli planning committee for 1,800 housing units, and (b) the preliminary approval by that committee for 1,344 others, in the West Bank.
Answered on
16 November 2021
As the Minister for Middle East and North Africa made clear on 28 October, we urge the Government of Israel to reverse the decisions on 24 October and 27 October to advance the construction of settlement units in the occupied West Bank and East Jerusalem. The UK's position on settlements is clear. They are illegal under international law, present an obstacle to peace, and threaten the physical viability of a two-state solution. We continue to urge the Israeli and Palestinian leaderships to avoid actions which make peace more difficult to achieve.