Asked by: Ian Paisley (Democratic Unionist Party - North Antrim)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent assessment he has made of the level of radicalisation in the Palestinian Territories.
Answered by Alistair Burt
We strongly condemn all violence and all incitement to commit violence. We are deeply concerned by continued incitement against Israel in the Hamas-run media and education system. The glorification of terrorists as “martyrs” is a barrier to peace. But President Abbas and the Palestinian Authority have repeatedly demonstrated their commitment to non-violence and a negotiated two-state solution. It is important that the Palestinian leadership continue efforts to fully implement the recommendations of the Quartet Report regarding incitement.
Asked by: Ian Paisley (Democratic Unionist Party - North Antrim)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what assessment he has made of trends in the level of Hezbollah's weapons arsenal.
Answered by Alistair Burt
We are aware of concerns that Hizballah continues to amass an arsenal of weapons in Lebanon. We condemn the threat that this poses to regional stability and in direct contravention of UN Security Council Resolutions 1559 and 1701. The UK is working with Lebanon to reinforce its state institutions, in particular the Lebanese Armed Forces (LAF). It is in the interests of Lebanon that the LAF are recognised as the only legitimate armed forces of Lebanon.
Asked by: Ian Paisley (Democratic Unionist Party - North Antrim)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what assessment he has made of the extent of expansion of Hezbollah's weapons arsenal; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Alistair Burt
We are aware of reports that Hizballah continues to amass an arsenal of weapons in Lebanon. We condemn the threat this poses to regional stability and the direct contravention of UN Security Council Resolutionss 1559 and 1701.
Asked by: Ian Paisley (Democratic Unionist Party - North Antrim)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent assessment the Government has made of the effect on stability in the Middle East of Iran's ballistic missile programme.
Answered by Alistair Burt
We have significant concerns about Iran's ballistic missile programme, which contributes to its destabilising role in the region. Iran has conducted ballistic missile activity which is inconsistent with UN Security Council Resolution 2231. We have raised our concerns with the Iranian Government, including during the Foreign Secretary’s visit to Tehran in December. We also continue to work with the relevant UN bodies to support the implementation of UN Security Council Resolutions, and we urge all partners to report concerns about Iran’s ballistic missile programme to the UN Security Council.
Asked by: Ian Paisley (Democratic Unionist Party - North Antrim)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent assessment he has made of the effect on the Middle East Peace Process of renewed rocket firings from Gaza into Israel.
Answered by Alistair Burt
We are gravely concerned by the increase in rocket fire since December 2017. Rocket attacks threaten the daily lives of Israelis indiscriminately and make achieving peace more difficult. We call on all parties to refrain from violence and to commit to a negotiated solution to end the conflict.
Asked by: Ian Paisley (Democratic Unionist Party - North Antrim)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what assessment he has made of the extent of institutionalised radicalisation in the Palestinian territories.
Answered by Alistair Burt
We strongly condemn all violence and all incitement to commit violence. We are deeply concerned by continued incitement against Israel in the Hamas-run media and education system. The glorification of terrorists as “martyrs” is a barrier to peace. But President Abbas and the Palestinian Authority have repeatedly demonstratd their their commitment to non-violence and a negotiated two-state solution. It is important the Palestinian leadership continue efforts to fully implement the recommendations of the Quartet Report regarding incitement. I raised the issue of incitement with senior Palestinian officials during my visit to the region in August.
Asked by: Ian Paisley (Democratic Unionist Party - North Antrim)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what assessment he has made of the diplomatic implications of recent violence in Israel and the West Bank.
Answered by Alistair Burt
Every Israeli and Palestinian has the right to live in peace and security. We understand and share the deep frustration on all sides at the lack of progress on the Middle East Peace Process. The ongoing violence in Israel and the West Bank underlines that a just and lasting resolution that ends the occupation and delivers peace for both Israelis and Palestinians is long overdue.
Asked by: Ian Paisley (Democratic Unionist Party - North Antrim)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what assessment the Government has made of the progress made on Iran's ballistic missile programme.
Answered by Alistair Burt
We have significant concerns over Iran's ballistic missile programme, which contributes to its destabilising regional role. Iran has conducted ballistic missile activity which is inconsistent with UNSCR 2231. We have raised our concerns with Iran and we, along with partners, have written to the UN Secretary General to express this concern. We keep Iran's ballistic missile programme under constant review and remain committed to enforcing all international restrictions on this programme.
Asked by: Ian Paisley (Democratic Unionist Party - North Antrim)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what assessment he has made of the extent of Hezbollah's weapon arsenal.
Answered by Alistair Burt
We are aware of reports that Hizballah continues to amass an arsenal of weapons. We condemn the threat this poses to regional stability and the direct contravention of UNSCRs 1559 and 1701.
Asked by: Ian Paisley (Democratic Unionist Party - North Antrim)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what assessment he has made of the extent of renewed tunnel building into Israel by Hamas in Gaza.
Answered by Alistair Burt
We remain deeply concerned by Hamas attempts to rearm and rebuild militant infrastructure, including the tunnel network, in Gaza. Hamas rearmament undermines efforts to improve the situation in Gaza and harms the prospects for peace and stability in the Middle East.