Asked by: Bell Ribeiro-Addy (Labour - Clapham and Brixton Hill)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of settlement activity and land designation policies on privately owned Palestinian land in the Bethlehem governorate.
Answered by Hamish Falconer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK remains concerned about the situation facing the Nassar family and the Tent of Nations farm . We are aware of the issues surrounding the land and of recent developments affecting the site. The UK regularly monitors the situation in the West Bank. Our Consulate General in Jerusalem engages routinely with communities, non-governmental organisations and relevant stakeholders on this matter. The UK is clear that Israeli settlements are illegal under international law. We continue to urge Israel to halt these practices and protect Palestinian communities.
Asked by: Bell Ribeiro-Addy (Labour - Clapham and Brixton Hill)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what support her Department provides to nonviolent civil society and community resilience initiatives in the occupied West Bank.
Answered by Hamish Falconer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK remains concerned about the situation facing the Nassar family and the Tent of Nations farm . We are aware of the issues surrounding the land and of recent developments affecting the site. The UK regularly monitors the situation in the West Bank. Our Consulate General in Jerusalem engages routinely with communities, non-governmental organisations and relevant stakeholders on this matter. The UK is clear that Israeli settlements are illegal under international law. We continue to urge Israel to halt these practices and protect Palestinian communities.
Asked by: Chris Law (Scottish National Party - Dundee Central)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether the Prime Minister raised the issue of the succession of the Dalai Lama with a) President Xi and b) Premier Li during his visit to China in January 2026.
Answered by Seema Malhotra - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
On 2 July 2025, the UK hosted an event in Geneva to champion the universal right to freedom of religion or belief (FoRB), including for Tibetan Buddhists, and reaffirmed that Tibetans should be free choose their own religious leaders. We continue to raise FoRB and human rights concerns in relation to Tibet with the Chinese authorities, and the Prime Minister raised Tibet with President Xi during their meeting in January.
Asked by: Scott Arthur (Labour - Edinburgh South West)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps she has taken to ensure UK-based journalists can report on the activities of the Iranian regime without fear of intimidation.
Answered by Hamish Falconer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
Iran's threats and intimidation toward journalists and their families, both inside Iran and in the UK, are absolutely unacceptable, and we have consistently raised these issues directly with the Iranian government. We were integral to the delivery of the Iran Human Rights Resolution, adopted by the UN General Assembly in November 2025, which called on Iran to halt threats and intimidation against journalists who are critical of the government, and to investigate and prosecute those responsible for reprisals. In the UK, the National Protective Security Authority and Counter Terrorism Policing also continue to provide protective security advice and support to individuals and organisations threatened by the Iranian regime and its criminal proxies.
Asked by: Gregory Stafford (Conservative - Farnham and Bordon)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, when will she provide a response to questions 118113, 118114 and 118115 tabled on 4th March 2026.
Answered by Hamish Falconer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
I apologise for the delay in responding to the Hon Member's questions. The answers were published on 16 March.
Asked by: Calvin Bailey (Labour - Leyton and Wanstead)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what diplomatic steps she is taking to coordinate action to end a) settler violence and b) settlement expansion in the West Bank with other states that have recognised Palestine as a state.
Answered by Hamish Falconer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
I refer the Hon Member to the answers I gave on this issue in Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office oral questions on 3 March, and to the joint statement issued by the Foreign Secretary and fourteen of her overseas counterparts on 24 December condemning the approval by the Israeli security cabinet of 19 new settlements in the occupied West Bank. https://www.gov.uk/government/news/statement-on-israeli-settlement-expansion-in-the-west-bank
Asked by: Alex Sobel (Labour (Co-op) - Leeds Central and Headingley)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, if she will consider the potential merits of adding Iraq to the list of countries where British nationals can register their presence with her Department.
Answered by Hamish Falconer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The safety and security of British nationals is our top priority, and on that basis, we continue to recommend against all travel to all regions of Iraq. We keep our travel advice and our response to the current crisis under constant review, but there are no plans to launch the Register My Presence service for Iraq at this time.
Asked by: Bell Ribeiro-Addy (Labour - Clapham and Brixton Hill)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps her Department is taking to monitor and respond to threats to Palestinian agricultural land and livelihoods in the Bethlehem area, including cases involving long-standing private land claims.
Answered by Hamish Falconer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK remains concerned about the situation facing the Nassar family and the Tent of Nations farm . We are aware of the issues surrounding the land and of recent developments affecting the site. The UK regularly monitors the situation in the West Bank. Our Consulate General in Jerusalem engages routinely with communities, non-governmental organisations and relevant stakeholders on this matter. The UK is clear that Israeli settlements are illegal under international law. We continue to urge Israel to halt these practices and protect Palestinian communities.
Asked by: Bell Ribeiro-Addy (Labour - Clapham and Brixton Hill)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether UK officials have made representations to the Israeli authorities regarding legal proceedings, land status, or reported risks of confiscation relating to the Tent of Nations farm near Bethlehem.
Answered by Hamish Falconer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK remains concerned about the situation facing the Nassar family and the Tent of Nations farm . We are aware of the issues surrounding the land and of recent developments affecting the site. The UK regularly monitors the situation in the West Bank. Our Consulate General in Jerusalem engages routinely with communities, non-governmental organisations and relevant stakeholders on this matter. The UK is clear that Israeli settlements are illegal under international law. We continue to urge Israel to halt these practices and protect Palestinian communities.
Asked by: Bell Ribeiro-Addy (Labour - Clapham and Brixton Hill)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether UK diplomatic staff in the Occupied Palestinian Territories have engaged with the Nassar family or visited the Tent of Nations site in the past 12 months; and whether there are plans for further engagement.
Answered by Hamish Falconer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK remains concerned about the situation facing the Nassar family and the Tent of Nations farm . We are aware of the issues surrounding the land and of recent developments affecting the site. The UK regularly monitors the situation in the West Bank. Our Consulate General in Jerusalem engages routinely with communities, non-governmental organisations and relevant stakeholders on this matter. The UK is clear that Israeli settlements are illegal under international law. We continue to urge Israel to halt these practices and protect Palestinian communities.