Asked by: Lord McCabe (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, when the Government last reviewed compliance with its partnership principles with the Palestinian Authority.
Answered by Leo Docherty
Following a review in December 2021, FCDO's assessment is that the Palestinian Authority (PA) demonstrates a partially credible commitment to the Partnership Principles. There is relatively strong progress on improving public financial management and a continued commitment to delivering effective services and reducing poverty, despite the challenges of occupation. However, cases of abuses of human rights and restrictions on freedom of expression continue and there is potential for greater action to strengthen human rights protection and increase domestic accountability in areas within the PA's control. The UK will continue to monitor these areas closely and raise with the highest levels of the PA.
Asked by: Lord McCabe (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, with reference to the latest Memorandum of Understanding between the UK and the Palestinian Authority (PA), what assessment her department has made of a PA spokesperson vowing to continue the policy of paying salaries to the families of terrorists on 30 January 2022.
Answered by Leo Docherty
The UK Government strongly condemns all acts of terrorism and has zero tolerance towards incitement of violence. It is critical that the Palestinian leadership continue their efforts to tackle terror and incitement, strengthen institutions and develop a sustainable economy. Our partnership with the Palestinian Authority (PA) includes a commitment from the Palestinian leadership to adhere to the principle of non-violence and to tackle language and actions that could incite violence or hatred. We continue to assess the PA's commitment to peace in line with our Partnership Principles.
Asked by: Lord McCabe (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, when the UK last reviewed compliance with its partnership principles with the Palestinian Authority.
Answered by Leo Docherty
Following a review in December 2021, FCDO's assessment is that the Palestinian Authority (PA) demonstrates a partially credible commitment to the Partnership Principles. There is relatively strong progress on improving public financial management and a continued commitment to delivering effective services and reducing poverty, despite the challenges of the occupation. However, cases of abuses of human rights and restrictions on freedom of expression continue and there is a need for greater action to strengthen human rights protection and increase domestic accountability in areas within the PA's control. The UK continues to monitor these issues closely, and raise them at the highest levels of the PA.
Asked by: Lord McCabe (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment his Department has made of the implications for its policies of the Review of 2022 UNRWA-Produced Study Materials in the Palestinian Territories published by IMPACT-se in July 2022.
Answered by Leo Docherty
The UK Government has zero tolerance towards incitement of violence. We are aware of the recent Institute for Monitoring Peace and Cultural Tolerance in School Education (IMPACT-SE) report and raised with the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) directly. We are longstanding supporters of UNRWA and their work to provide essential services to Palestinian refugees across the region, including in the Occupied Palestinian Territories (OPTs). We accompany our support for UNRWA with stringent attention to implementation of their neutrality policy, including how they apply this to the learning material UNRWA produces in the OPTs to ensure they reflect UN values.