Asked by: Maria Caulfield (Conservative - Lewes)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what assessment he has made of Hamas’s role in the ongoing humanitarian situation in Gaza.
Answered by Andrew Murrison - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence)
As the UK said at the UN Security Council on 22 May, Hamas’s ongoing decision to embrace violence and reject the Quartet Principles lies at the heart of the Gazan tragedy. Hamas’s decision to send rockets towards Israel is unacceptable and must stop. Our policy on Hamas is clear: they must renounce violence, recognise Israel and accept previously signed agreements. Violence further undermines the humanitarian situation in Gaza, creates fear amongst the Israeli and Palestinian populations, and damages the prospects for peace. We urge all parties to demonstrate restraint, and work towards a durable agreement that addresses the underlying causes of the conflict and transforms the situation in Gaza.
Asked by: Maria Caulfield (Conservative - Lewes)
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 of the Egyptian blockade of the Gaza Strip on the humanitarian situation in that region.
Answered by Mark Field
Ministers and officials regularly raise the situation in Gaza with the Egyptian Government both in London and in Cairo. We remain deeply concerned about the human rights situation in Gaza and support the Palestinian Authority returning to administer Gaza. The Foreign Secretary discussed Gaza with new Palestinian Prime Minister Shtayyeh on 20 March. We continue to urge Israel, the Palestinian Authority and Egypt to work together to ensure a durable solution for Gaza.
Asked by: Maria Caulfield (Conservative - Lewes)
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 Turkish counterpart on preventing the planned (a) invasion of Rojava and (b) attacks against the Kurds in northern Syria.
Answered by Alan Duncan
I have had a number of recent conversations with my Turkish counterparts over the conflict in Syria, as have my ministerial colleagues and the Prime Minister. While we recognise Turkey's security interests, we are closely monitoring the situation in North East Syria and are concerned about the humanitarian impact of a potential Turkish military operation, as well as the impact on the campaign against Daesh.
Our priority is to end the conflict in Syria through a negotiated political settlement: we believe only an inclusive, non-sectarian government can unite the country and protect the rights of all Syrians.
Asked by: Maria Caulfield (Conservative - Lewes)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, whether he has made representations to the Palestinian Authority on allegations of its schools naming sports tournaments after terrorists.
Answered by Tobias Ellwood
While we have not raised this specific issue with the Palestinian Authority (PA). We regularly raise the issue of incitement with the PA. Most recently, on 9 March, our Consul General in Jerusalem met Prime Minister Hamdallah and raised our concerns on incitement. I also raised the issue with the PA during my visit on 17 February.
Asked by: Maria Caulfield (Conservative - Lewes)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what reports his Department has received on the rebuilding by Hamas of its cross-border tunnel infrastructure into Israel.
Answered by Tobias Ellwood
We are aware of reports of Hamas rebuilding tunnels and we remain deeply concerned by Hamas' attempts to rearm and rebuild infrastructure, including the tunnel network in Gaza. Any Hamas rearmament undermines efforts to improve the situation in Gaza and harms prospects for peace and stability in the Middle East.
Asked by: Maria Caulfield (Conservative - Lewes)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what discussions his Department has had with the government of Israel on the extension of the Separation Barrier in the Cremisan Valley.
Answered by Tobias Ellwood
Officials from our Embassy in Tel Aviv have raised the issue of the separation barrier through Cremisan Valley with the Israeli authorities repeatedly, most recently on 1 September 2015. Our Deputy Consul General to Jerusalem visited the Al Walajah and Khirbet Najjar areas of Beit Jala on 9 February 2016, where he was given an update on the impact of the barrier on residents.
Asked by: Maria Caulfield (Conservative - Lewes)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what discussions his Department has had with the government of Israel on the international delegation of Bishops which was recently refused access to the Cremisan Valley by Israeli security forces during a visit to the construction site of the Separation Barrier.
Answered by Tobias Ellwood
We have not raised this specific issue with the Israeli authorities. Officials from our Embassy in Tel Aviv have raised the issue of the separation barrier through the Cremisan Valley with the Israeli authorities repeatedly, most recently on 1 September 2015.
Asked by: Maria Caulfield (Conservative - Lewes)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what discussions his Department has had with the government of Israel concerning recent anti-Christian vandalism at the Dormition Abbey.
Answered by Tobias Ellwood
While we have not had any discussions with the Israeli authorities over this specific incident, we understand that the Israeli police have arrested two Israeli teenagers for the attack. This attack was widely condemned by Palestinian and Israeli leaders. Our Embassy in Tel Aviv is in regular contact with representatives of Churches on a range of issues, including to discuss concern about attacks on places of worship.