Asked by: Baroness Tonge (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the impact on the human rights of Palestinians of the decision by the government of Israel to classify a nature reserve near the Ainun area in Tubas as a military zone.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
We are aware of the continued expropriation of land by Israel in the West Bank. We regularly call on Israel to halt such counterproductive activity and instead urgently commit to creating a better environment for a just and lasting peace. We continue to call on Israel to improve Palestinians' route to securing building permissions for homes and infrastructure, including agriculture and farming, in Area C.
Asked by: Baroness Tonge (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government whether UK citizens are permitted (1) to act as mercenaries, and (2) to train with foreign militaries; and if so, (a) under what legislative or other framework such activity is permitted, and (b) in what countries they permit such activity.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK government notes Article 47 of Additional Protocol I to the Geneva Conventions, of which the UK is a party, which sets out the definition of a mercenary. There is no licensing system or permission process in UK law for a UK citizen who intends to act as a mercenary to follow. UK law focusses on the activities of UK citizens abroad, which may be prosecuted in the UK where UK law makes such provision. For example, under the International Criminal Courts Acts of 2001, UK courts have jurisdiction to prosecute acts of genocide, war crimes and crimes against humanity committed by UK nationals either inside or outside of the United Kingdom, and offences of murder committed outside the jurisdiction may be prosecuted in the UK. Additionally, the direct or indirect provision of armed personnel, where it enables or facilitates the conduct of armed hostilities, may constitute an offence under UK sanctions regimes. This legislation enables the UK to prosecute a UK citizen accused of committing such crimes overseas as a mercenary or whilst working for a private security company.
We draw a clear distinction between mercenaries and private security companies (PSCs). We promote high standards for PSCs internationally through voluntary regulation of the sector and played a leading role in the drafting of the International Code of Conduct for Private Security Service Providers (2010), which sets out principles for security providers, and related standards, governance, and oversight mechanisms, and the launch of its oversight mechanism to monitor compliance with the Code, the International Code of Conduct Association (ICoCA) (2013).
Members of UK Armed Forces regularly undertake training and engage in exercises with a wide range of international partners in that professional capacity, where this best supports the development of UK military capability, contributes to the development of international defence relationships and supports wider government objectives.
Asked by: Baroness Tonge (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of reports that UK citizens have been accused of involvement in the deaths of Palestinians in the Occupied Palestinian Territories.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The Government is aware of the high numbers of Palestinians, including children, killed by Israel Defence Forces in the West Bank and Gaza. We have urged Israel to ensure that its investigation is swift and comprehensive. We continue to stress the importance of the Israeli security forces providing appropriate protection to the Palestinian civilian population, in particular the need to protect children, and urge restraint in the use of live fire. In instances where there have been accusations of excessive use of force, we advocate transparent investigations.
Asked by: Baroness Tonge (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the report by the Community Security Trust Campus antisemitism in Britain 2018–2020, published on 17 December 2020; and what discussions they have had with (1) the government of Israel, and (2) the Community Security Trust, about (a) the findings of that report, and (2) the causes of antisemitism in universities in the UK.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
We have not made any assessment. The UK is committed to combatting the rise of anti-Semitism in all its forms, and we have a regular, frank and open dialogue with international partners on this issue.
Asked by: Baroness Tonge (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what representations they have made to the government of Israel about (1) reports that the administrative detention order of Amal Nakhleh has been extended, and (2) the need for Amal Nakhleh to access treatment for an autoimmune disease.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
We are aware of Amal Nakhleh's case. According to international law, administrative detention should be used only when imperative reasons of security makes it necessary, rather than as routine practice and as a preventive rather than a punitive measure. We continue to call on the Israeli authorities to comply with their obligations under international law and either charge or release detainees. We remain committed to working with Israel to secure improvements to the practices surrounding children in detention and regularly raise this with the Israeli Ministry of Justice. We also fund projects providing legal aid to assist children with legal representation and capacity building to local lawyers. Ultimately, a lasting peace agreement is needed which ensures that all those who are in need of medical attention have access to healthcare provisions.
Asked by: Baroness Tonge (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of reports of the arrest and subsequent treatment by Israel Police of a 13-year old Palestinian in Isawiya on 28 January.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
We repeatedly call on Israel to abide by its obligations under international law and have a regular dialogue with Israel on legal issues relating to the occupation, including the treatment of Palestinian children. We continue to stress the importance of the Israeli security forces providing appropriate protection to the Palestinian civilian population, in particular the need to protect children. As the Minister of State for the Middle East and North Africa said on 9 December 2020, in instances where there have been accusations of excessive use of force, we have advocated swift, transparent investigations.
Asked by: Baroness Tonge (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government how much funding they have provided to the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East in each of the last three financial years.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK's funding contribution to UNRWA included £51.1 million in 2017, £65.4 million in 2018 and £65.6 million in 2019, as shown in the table below. Funding data is published each calendar year in the Statistics on International Development (SID) publication.
£ (millions) | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 |
Total UK ODA to UNRWA per calendar year | 51.1 | 65.4 | 65.6 |
Source: based on Statistics for International Development but adjusted as SID is reported in line with OECD reporting directives, which classifies some UNRWA emergency and project funding separately and reports when funding was disbursed and not which year it contributed to the UNRWA programme. The figures above reflect actual total UK funding to each annual UNRWA programme, including emergency appeals.
Asked by: Baroness Tonge (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon on 1 February (HL12260), whether they have had any discussions about compensation for farmers who have had olive trees destroyed in the West Bank; and if so, (1) who those discussions were with, and (2) what was the outcome.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
We are aware of the particular significance of olive trees given their status as a national symbol and the sole source of income for many Palestinian farmers. We have not discussed the issue of compensation with the Israeli Authorities. We have repeatedly raised the issue of incidents of settler violence, including the destruction of olive trees, with the Israeli authorities. We continue to stress the importance of bringing those responsible to justice and of the Israeli security forces providing appropriate protection to the Palestinian civilian population.
Asked by: Baroness Tonge (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they have made any assessment of the number of indictments of Israeli citizens by the government of Israel for charges relating (1) to the assault of Palestinians, and (2) to damage to Palestinian property; and if so, what steps they are taking in the light of any such assessment
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
We have not made this assessment. We welcome the Government of Israel's strong condemnation of settler violence, as well as the establishment of a special governmental unit and legislative changes. Nonetheless, we continue to urge the Israeli authorities to thoroughly investigate every instance and to bring those responsible to justice and end the culture of impunity. We have stressed the importance of the Israeli security forces providing appropriate protection to the Palestinian civilian population.
Asked by: Baroness Tonge (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what representations they have made to the government of Israel about reports that Palestinians have been attacked in response to the killing of an Israeli citizen by the Israeli police on 21 December 2020 in the West Bank.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
We are not aware of these reports. The UK condemns any incidence of violence by settlers against Palestinians. We continue to stress the importance of the Israeli security forces providing appropriate protection to the Palestinian civilian population.