Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the government of Israel’s decision not to renew the mandate of the International Monitoring Force in Hebron.

We are concerned by Israel's decision not to extend the mandate for Hebron's international monitoring mission. The mission has been in Hebron for over 20 years and fulfilled an important role in reducing tensions in the city between Israeli settlers and Palestinian communities. Our Ambassador to Israel raised our concerns over this decision with the Israeli authorities on 29 January. The Minister for the Middle East discussed our concerns with the Israeli Ambassador to the UK on 30 January and also expressed these concerns in a Tweet on the 2 February.