To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent discussions he has held with his counterpart in Israel on the expansion of illegal settlements in the occupied West Bank.
Answered on
24 July 2023
The UK's position on settlements is clear: they are illegal under international law, present an obstacle to peace, threaten the physical viability of a two-state solution and call into question Israel's commitment to a two-state solution. We urge Israel to halt settlement expansion immediately and we continue to monitor the changes to the settlement approval process instituted by the government of Israel on June 18, which facilitate swifter approval of construction in settlements. The Foreign Secretary reaffirmed this position in his 30 June statement along with his Australian and Canadian counterparts, and to Israeli Foreign Minister Eli Cohen directly in their 5 July phone call. The Minister of State for the Middle East, Lord (Tariq) Ahmad of Wimbledon also frequently raises this issue with the Israeli ambassador to the UK.