Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent assessment he has made of the prospects for peace between Israel and the Palestinian Occupied Territories.

We firmly believe a just and lasting resolution that ends the occupation and delivers peace for both Israelis and Palestinians is long overdue. We believe that negotiations will only succeed when they are conducted between Israelis and Palestinians, supported by the international community. We have encouraged the US Administration to bring forward detailed proposals for a viable peace agreement that addresses the legitimate concerns of both parties. We continue to believe the best way to achieve this is through substantive peace talks between the parties leading to a two-state solution with Jerusalem as a shared capital.