Asked by: Louise Haigh (Labour - Sheffield Heeley)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what representations he has made to his Israeli counterpart on Israel's imposition of restrictions on the export of Palestinian agricultural products.
Answered by James Cleverly - Shadow Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government
The UK is concerned about the impact of recent Israeli trade restrictions in the Occupied Palestinian Territories. We are committed to supporting Palestinian economic development, and strongly support the principle of free trade. Businesses should be free to import Palestinian products without barriers. Her Majesty's Ambassador to Israel has raised this issue with the Government of Israel, most recently on 12 February. We welcome the agreement reached by the Government of Israel and the Palestinian Authority, on 20 February, to lift their respective trade restrictions. We urge both sides to ensure the continued implementation of this agreement and will monitor the situation.
Asked by: Louise Haigh (Labour - Sheffield Heeley)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what steps the UK Government plans to take to ensure that (a) alleged human rights abuses in South Cameroon are fully investigated and (b) the perpetrators of any such abuses are held to account.
Answered by James Duddridge
The UK Government remains deeply concerned about the deteriorating situation in the North-West and South-West (Anglophone) regions of Cameroon. These regions suffer from high levels of violence, which have driven hundreds of thousands of people from their homes. We have consistently called for an end to the violence, and for investigations into all reports of human rights violations. On 19 February, I issued a statement about the appalling attacks on 14 February and called for an urgent and transparent investigation so that the perpetrators can be held accountable.
We continue to shine a spotlight on the crisis and raise our concerns on human rights in Cameroon at the highest levels, including with the Government of Cameroon, in multinational fora and with international partners including the US and France. At the UN Security Council (UNSC) on 6 December 2019, the UK expressed concern over the crisis, calling for an end to human rights abuses, and for humanitarian access to affected people. At the UNSC on 12 February, the UK highlighted the significant impact of the crisis on children.
The UK continues to support all credible peacebuilding initiatives and remains ready to work with the Government of Cameroon, and international partners, to bring peace to the North-West and South-West (Anglophone) regions.
Asked by: Louise Haigh (Labour - Sheffield Heeley)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
What recent diplomatic steps he has taken to help pursue a resolution to the conflict in Yemen.
Answered by Alistair Burt
The situation in Yemen is of great concern to the government and the UK remains at the forefront of the diplomatic response. Most recently, the Foreign Secretary co-hosted the Yemen Ministeral Quad with US Secretary of State Pompeo on 13 Februrary in Warsaw. At this meeting, we highlighted our continued commitment to progress on Yemen, which is at a critical juncture.
Asked by: Louise Haigh (Labour - Sheffield Heeley)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent representations he has made to his Israeli counterpart on the (a) forceable removal of shepherding families in Ibzik, in the Jordan Valley (b) destruction of those communities' land by large-scale tank manoeuvres and (c) demolition of a school classroom serving those communities.
Answered by Alistair Burt
Whist we have not raised these specific issues, we regularly make clear our serious concerns about the situation in the Occupied Palestinian Territories to the Israeli authorities, both bilaterally and in co-operation with EU partners. These concerns include the evictions of Palestinians and demolition of Palestinian property, which cause unnecessary suffering to ordinary Palestinians, calls into question Israel’s commitment to a viable two-state solution, and, in all but the most exceptional cases, are contrary to International Humanitarian Law.