Asked by: Lord Turnberg (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for International Development:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of reports of school books published by the Palestinian Authority containing incitement to hatred and violence.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK government is deeply concerned about allegations of incitement in the Palestinian Authority’s school textbooks. The UK secured EU agreement to lead an independent review of the textbooks which is underway. We expect interim findings by June 2020 and full findings later in the year.
The International Development Secretary reiterated our concerns in a call to the Palestinian Authority’s Education Minister just last month.
Asked by: Lord Turnberg (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for International Development:
To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Bates on 21 January (HL12583), what representations they have made to the Palestinian Authority about (1) its responsibility to pay for the medical care of patients from Gaza treated in Israel, and (2) the limitations it has placed on exit permits for patients from Gaza to receive medical treatment in Israel.
Answered by Lord Bates
The UK continually monitors the humanitarian context in Gaza, including in the health sector, and we remain deeply concerned about restrictions on movement and access and the impact that this is having on the wounded and critically ill. Officials raised Palestinian Authority (PA) funding of health referrals for patients from Gaza to Israel in a meeting with the Minister for Health in June 2018 and continue to do as part of broader engagement with the PA on their obligations in Gaza. We have not received reports of the PA restricting Gazan exit permits but are looking into this issue.
Asked by: Lord Turnberg (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for International Development:
To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Bates on 21 January (HL12583), what assessment they have made of the finding in the report by the World Health Organisation Monthly Report December 2017: Health Access for Referral Patients from the Gaza Strip, published on 7 February 2018, that more than 13,000 Palestinians were allowed to leave Gaza for medical treatment in 2017 in Israel.
Answered by Lord Bates
DFID continually assesses the humanitarian context in Gaza, including the health sector, which remains under significant strain. Movement restrictions on patients seeking medical treatment outside Gaza remain a critical concern, particularly since the number of patients requesting access to medical care outside Gaza on a monthly basis increased significantly in 2018 compared to 2017. Recent information from the World Health Organisation Monthly Report November 2018: Health Access for Referral Patients from the Gaza Strip, published on 30 December 2018, showed that there is a positive trend over the prior 12 months for medical permits granted by the Government of Israel. However, access to some medical services, such as cancer treatment, remains constrained. The UK hopes to see this positive trend continue and for the wounded and critically ill in Gaza to be able to access the urgent medical care they need.
Asked by: Lord Turnberg (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for International Development:
To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they have made representations to the Palestinian Authority about the restrictions that have been imposed on the healthcare budget for the population of Gaza.
Answered by Lord Bates
A senior UK Government official discussed a range of challenges facing the Palestinian healthcare system with the Palestinian Authority’s (PA) Minister of Health in June last year, including the PA’s healthcare budget, the quality of healthcare available, and shortages of drugs and medical supplies in Gaza. Restrictions in Gaza were most recently raised with the PA earlier this month by a UK Government official.
Asked by: Lord Turnberg (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for International Development:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what representations they have made to the Palestinian Authority about the restrictions that have been imposed on the supply of medicines to Gaza.
Answered by Lord Bates
A senior UK Government official discussed a range of challenges facing the Palestinian healthcare system with the Palestinian Authority’s (PA) Minister of Health in June last year, including the PA’s healthcare budget, the quality of healthcare available, and shortages of drugs and medical supplies in Gaza. Restrictions in Gaza were most recently raised with the PA earlier this month by a UK Government official.
Asked by: Lord Turnberg (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for International Development:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Verma on 7 July 2016 (HL799), what discussion they have had with the Palestinian Authority about its non-attendance at meetings with Israeli officials on the Joint Water Committee.
Answered by Baroness Anelay of St Johns
Continuity of water supply to the West Bank is essential for both the basic needs of Palestinians and for stability and security more widely. The UK regularly raises the issue of water in the Occupied Palestinian Territories with the Palestinian Authority and Government of Israel. We encourage both parties to find a swift resolution to this issue and to reconvene the Joint Water Committee.
Asked by: Lord Turnberg (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for International Development:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Northover on 9 March (HL5115), what assessment they have made of reports that Hamas has diverted building materials to reconstruct tunnels adjacent to the border between Gaza and Israel.
Answered by Baroness Northover
DFID is providing £0.5million to the Materials Monitoring Unit (MMU) which oversees and monitors the import, storage, supply and use of construction materials into Gaza under the auspices of the Gaza Reconstruction Mechanism (GRM). This Mechanism is designed to ensure reconstruction material reaches those who need it most.
We continue to engage with the Palestinian Authority, the UN and the Government of Israel to ensure the mechanism continues to work as intended and that any possible infractions are reported.
Asked by: Lord Turnberg (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for International Development:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Northover on 11 February (HL4569), about medical relief operations in Sierra Leone, what efforts they are making to co-ordinate their activities with those of the government of Israel which is providing mobile clinics and medical expertise to help combat ebola infections.
Answered by Baroness Northover
The UK is leading the international response to the Ebola crisis in Sierra Leone. We have built 6 Emergency Treatment Centres staffed by British and international healthcare workers, are supporting more than half of all the treatment and isolation beds available for Ebola patients, trained 4000 frontline health care staff, and provided three new laboratories to test one third of all samples collected nationally.
Israel has donated $8.75 million to the UN’s Ebola Response Multi Partner Trust Fund. The UK is also represented here and coordinates closely with other donors on priorities for the Fund.
Asked by: Lord Turnberg (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for International Development:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Northover on 6 January (HL3815), what co-operation they have had from Hamas in the reconstruction of civilian property in Gaza.
Answered by Baroness Northover
UK policy on Hamas is clear: we do not talk to Hamas and we have no plan to do so at present. At the Gaza Reconstruction Conference, the UK pledged £20 million for early recovery assistance. DFID has already disbursed £5 million and will provide the remainder in 2015/16. The UK was also the first donor to support the temporary tri-partite Gaza Reconstruction Mechanism (GRM) which is facilitating the import of construction materials into Gaza.
Asked by: Lord Turnberg (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for International Development:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what efforts they are making to encourage Hamas to co-operate with international aid agencies in the reconstruction of civilian property.
Answered by Baroness Northover
Reconstruction in Gaza will require political commitment by all parties, technical capacities for crossings and equipment, the smooth functioning of the Gaza Reconstruction Mechanism and adequate financial resources. The UK is providing £0.5 million to the Mechanism as part of our pledge for Gaza early recovery and reconstruction. By 10 December, more than 6,000 people had been able to buy building materials. Ultimately, we need to see a sustainable solution for Gaza that addresses the underlying issues, and we continue to urge the parties to resume negotiations to that end.