Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, with reference to the statement from four UN Special Rapporteurs on Israel’s continued detention of World Vision’s former Gaza Director, Mohammed el-Halabi, dated 12 November 2020, what recent representations he has made to his Israeli counterpart on ensuring Mr el-Halabi is (a) granted the full rights of a fair trial or (b) unconditionally released.

We are aware of the statement from four UN Special Rapporteurs on Israel's continued detention of World Vision's former Gaza Director, Mohammed el-Halabi, dated 12 November 2020. We remain concerned about Israel's extensive use of administrative detention which, according to international law, should be used only when security makes this absolutely necessary rather than as routine practice and as a preventive rather than a punitive measure. We continue to call on the Israeli authorities to comply with their obligations under international law and either charge or release detainees.