Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what representations he has made to the Government of Israel on humanitarian access to all parts of (a) the West Bank and (b) the Gaza strip in the event of annexation.

We are concerned about the humanitarian situation in the Occupied Palestinian Territories, and caution against anything that could exacerbate this. Our priority and focus is on preventing annexation. We continue to urge Israel not to take these steps. The Prime Minister has conveyed the UK's opposition to unilateral annexation to Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu on multiple occasions, including in a phone call on 6 July and a letter in June. The Prime Minister also urged Israel not to proceed in an article in Israeli newspaper Yedioth Ahronoth on 1 July. The Foreign Secretary reiterated this message in his calls with Israeli Deputy Prime Minister Gantz and Foreign Minister Ashkenazi.