Asked by: Clive Betts (Labour - Sheffield South East)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, if he will (a) raise with his Israeli counterpart the death of Said Odeh and (b) seek assurance that there will be a criminal investigation into his death.
Answered by James Cleverly - Shadow Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government
We are aware of the reports surrounding the death of Said Odeh. Officials from the British Embassy Tel Aviv raised the case with the Israeli Ministry of Defence on 7 May. In instances where there have been accusations of excessive use of force, we continue to urge Israel to ensure that its investigations are transparent, swift and comprehensive. We also continue to stress the importance of the Israeli security forces providing appropriate protection to the Palestinian civilian population.
Asked by: Clive Betts (Labour - Sheffield South East)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, with reference to the finding by the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs of a more than doubling of the donor-funded aid items targeted for demolition or confiscation by the Israeli authorities in the first quarter of 2021, compared with the monthly average in 2020, what additional steps he will take to deter further demolitions and confiscations of humanitarian aid in the West Bank.
Answered by James Cleverly - Shadow Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government
The UK regularly raises the demolition of Palestinian property with the Government of Israel, including over the repeated confiscation and demolition of donor-funded assistance and structures. The Fourth Geneva Convention, which applies to all occupied territories, prohibits demolitions or forced evictions absent military necessity. The UK is clear that in all but the most exceptional of circumstances, demolitions are contrary to International Humanitarian Law. The practice causes unnecessary suffering to Palestinians and is harmful to efforts to promote peace.
The UK urged the Government of Israel to end demolitions of property in the West Bank at the UN Security council on 25 March 2021. On the same day, the British Ambassador in Tel Aviv raised ongoing demolitions with the Israeli authorities in a meeting alongside like-minded partners. I called on Israel to stop demolitions on 5 February 2021 and raised my concerns about the demolitions of Palestinian homes and structures with the Israeli Ambassador on 29 October 2020. UK officials from the British Consulate in Jerusalem have made regular visits to areas at risk of demolition and eviction to reiterate UK support for those communities.
Asked by: Clive Betts (Labour - Sheffield South East)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment he has made of the implications for his policies of the 121 per cent increase in Palestinian structures targeted for demolition or seizure by the Israeli authorities in the first quarter of 2021, compared to the same period in the previous year.
Answered by James Cleverly - Shadow Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government
The UK regularly raises the demolition of Palestinian property with the Government of Israel, including over the repeated confiscation and demolition of donor-funded assistance and structures. The Fourth Geneva Convention, which applies to all occupied territories, prohibits demolitions or forced evictions absent military necessity. The UK is clear that in all but the most exceptional of circumstances, demolitions are contrary to International Humanitarian Law. The practice causes unnecessary suffering to Palestinians and is harmful to efforts to promote peace.
The UK urged the Government of Israel to end demolitions of property in the West Bank at the UN Security council on 25 March 2021. On the same day, the British Ambassador in Tel Aviv raised ongoing demolitions with the Israeli authorities in a meeting alongside like-minded partners. I called on Israel to stop demolitions on 5 February 2021 and raised my concerns about the demolitions of Palestinian homes and structures with the Israeli Ambassador on 29 October 2020. UK officials from the British Consulate in Jerusalem have made regular visits to areas at risk of demolition and eviction to reiterate UK support for those communities.
Asked by: Clive Betts (Labour - Sheffield South East)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, if he will make representations to the Government of Israel against the use of live ammunition on Palestinian children in the West Bank.
Answered by James Cleverly - Shadow Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government
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, and urge restraint in the use of live fire. As I 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: Clive Betts (Labour - Sheffield South East)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, with reference to the UN Special Rapporteurs' statement of 14 January 2021, what recent assessment he has made of progress by Israel on ensuring equal access to covid-19 vaccines for Palestinians.
Answered by James Cleverly - Shadow Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government
The UK regularly engages with both the Government of Israel and Palestinian Authority (PA) and will continue to raise timely and appropriate access to COVID-19 vaccines. We welcome steps both parties have taken so far to coordinate the response, including the recent delivery of 2,000 doses of the Moderna vaccine from the Israeli Authorities to the PA for Palestinian health workers. We continue to encourage further cooperation between the two parties.
Asked by: Clive Betts (Labour - Sheffield South East)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent steps his Department has taken to help facilitate access to covid-19 (a) vaccines and (b) other essential healthcare supplies in the Occupied Palestinian Territories.
Answered by James Cleverly - Shadow Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government
The UK remains committed to ensuring equitable access to effective vaccines as demonstrated by our £548 million contribution to the COVAX Advance Market Commitment (AMC) - the international initiative to support global equitable access to vaccines. Through match funding, the commitment was leveraged to encourage other donors to commit $1 billion in 2020. We are pleased that the OPTs will be among the first to benefit from the COVAX AMC scheme, with delivery of a first batch of more than 37,000 doses of the of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine anticipated in mid-February.
The UK has also provided £1.25m funding (WHO with £630,000 and UNICEF with £620,000) to purchase and co-ordinate delivery of medical equipment, treat critical care patients, train frontline health workers, and scale up laboratory testing capacity - mainly in Gaza. We remain in regular, close contact with the Palestinian Authority to discuss their plans for access to safe COVID-19 vaccines in the OPTs.
Asked by: Clive Betts (Labour - Sheffield South East)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, which organisations in (a) Egypt and (b) the USA are responsible for inviting and nominating applicants for the Future Leaders Connect programme managed by the British Council.
Answered by Mark Field
Future Leaders Connect is the British Council’s long-term global network of emerging policy leaders. Now into it's third year, the 2 week programme offers exceptional young leaders opportunities to develop their skills in leadership and policy making, while at the same time building a life-long connection to the UK. Future Leaders Connect is open to applicants aged 18-35 in participating countries Canada, Egypt, India, Indonesia, Kenya, Mexico, Morocco, Nigeria, Pakistan, Poland, Tunisia, UK and USA. Applications from Egypt and USA are by invitation only.
In Egypt, the British Council works with the Egyptian Government, which raises awareness of the opportunity across its ministries and encourages applicants to apply. In the USA, the British Council works with around 200 stakeholders including the UK’s network of Consulates in the USA, think tanks, academic institutions, alumni award winners, civil society organisations and cultural institutions who nominate applicants to apply for the programme.