Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs,what assessment he has made of the implications for the Middle East Peace Process of the rocket attacks from Gaza into Israel.

Indiscriminate attacks against civilians are unacceptable and unjustifiable, and make peace harder to achieve. The UK fully supports Israel's right to self-defence and to defend its citizens from such acts of terror. Ultimately, the ongoing decision by Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad to embrace violence and reject the Quartet principles lies at the heart of the Gaza situation. Hamas and other terrorist groups must cease all actions that are violent or provocative, or that put civilian lives at risk.