Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what diplomatic steps he is taking to ensure that Hamas has no role in the future governance of Gaza.

Recovery and reconstruction efforts in Gaza must be based upon a solid political and security framework acceptable to both Israelis and Palestinians, which provides long-term peace and security for both Israelis and Palestinians alike. We are clear that Hamas must neither govern Gaza nor be a threat to Israel anymore. We explicitly support the central role for the Palestinian Authority and the implementation of its reform agenda. To that end we are working with international counterparts to support the Arab Plan for Gaza reconstruction and strengthen the Palestinian Authority.