Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, whether he made representations in support of a two-state solution during his last meeting with the Prime Minister of Israel.

We want to see an end to the fighting in Gaza as soon as possible and are calling for an immediate pause to get aid in and hostages out, then progress towards a sustainable, permanent ceasefire, without a return to destruction, fighting and loss of life.

These are the vital steps:

o the release of all Israeli hostages;

o the formation of a new Palestinian Government for the West Bank and Gaza, accompanied by an international support package;

o removing Hamas's capacity to launch attacks against Israel;

o Hamas no longer in charge of Gaza; and,

o a political horizon which provides a credible and irreversible pathway towards a two-state solution.

The Foreign Secretary and the Prime Minister have reiterated these messages in their contacts with Prime Minister Netanyahu and other senior Israeli political leaders, including during the Foreign Secretary's visit to Israel on 24 January. We are clear we support a two-state solution that guarantees security and stability for both the Israeli and Palestinian people, and we need to generate momentum now towards a permanent peace. That is why we are pressing for a Contact Group, bringing together the key players, to be set up at once.