Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent discussions she has had with the Israeli authorities on the humanitarian implications of the proposed demolition of Khan al-Ahmar.

​The UK is deeply concerned by the humanitarian implications of the proposed demolition of Khan al-Ahmar. We have frequently raised our concerns with the Israeli authorities at senior levels, including with the Israeli Prime Minister and Israeli Attorney General, urging them not to go ahead with their plan to demolish the village. Officials from our Consulate General in Jerusalem continue to visit Khan al-Ahmar, most recently on 18 December. The same day, our Permanent Representative to the UN made clear during a UN Security Council debate on the situation in the Middle East that "we welcome the temporary postponement of plans to demolish the Bedouin community of Khan al-Ahmar but we remain gravely concerned about the fate of this community". The United Nations has said this demolition could amount to forcible transfer in violation of International Humanitarian Law. As I have said before in this Chamber, the Israeli Government is not obligated to demolish Khan al-Ahmar. It has the power to change its mind and we urge it to do so.