Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what UN initiatives the UK is supporting that aim to promote reconciliation between Israelis and Palestinians and establishment of a Palestinian nation state that is recognised both internationally and by Israel.

The UK continues to support a negotiated two state solution as the only way to resolve the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. As part of this, along with other members of the UN Security Council, we welcome efforts by the Quartet to drive forward improvements on the ground. We support the Security Council’s efforts to build an environment conducive to peace and achieve our common goal of a two-state solution. In response to the recent violence across Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territories, the UK supports and reiterates the Council’s calls on both parties to avoid escalating the situation. We will judge proposals for further UN initiatives on the basis of whether we assess they support progress on the Middle East Peace Process.