Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what diplomatic steps her Department is taking to help end the use of administrative detention for Palestinians held by Israeli authorities.

The Government is concerned about Israel's extensive use of administrative detention which, according to international law, should be used only when security makes this absolutely necessary. Israeli authorities must either charge or release detainees. The UK calls for all such reports to be fully investigated. We also call on all parties to the conflict to grant the International Committee of the Red Cross immediate and unfettered access.