Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether he has discussed recent attacks against (a) Christian communities and (b) Christian holy sites in Jerusalem, including the assault on the Church of Gethsemane on 19 March 2023, with his Israeli counterpart.

The UK is a strong supporter of Freedom of Religion or Belief (FoRB) and calls for places of worship to be respected. We condemn the violence at the Church of Gethsemane on 19 March. Israel must ensure those responsible for attacks on Christians are held to account. We value the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan's important role as custodian of the holy sites in Jerusalem. The Foreign Secretary emphasised the importance of all parties respecting the historic Status Quo arrangements at Jerusalem's holy sites during Israeli Foreign Minister Cohen's recent visit to London and in my statement on 7 April.