Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether his Department is taking steps to engage with moderate Palestinian actors who renounce violence and will take part in a peace process with Israel; and if he will make a statement.

We urge the Israeli and Palestinian leadership to engage in meaningful dialogue to further the cause of peace at every opportunity. We continue to monitor the ongoing humanitarian situation in Gaza and welcome the recent ceasefire brokered by Egypt. When the Minister for the Middle East, Lord (Tariq) Ahmad of Wimbledon met with Palestinian Authority Foreign Minister Riad Malki on 5 May, he reaffirmed the UK's commitment to the Middle East peace process. The UK also continues to engage at the highest levels within the Palestinian Authority (PA) through the British Consulate General Jerusalem.