Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask Her Majesty’s Government, in the light of the remarks regarding litigation over the Balfour Declaration made by the Foreign Affairs Minister and the President of the Palestinian Authority, what representations they have made to the Palestinian Authority regarding a return to direct negotiations without preconditions between it and the government of Israel.

Officials from our Consulate-General in Jerusalem have discussed the remarks about litigation with Palestinian officials and politicians. We continue to urge a negotiated solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, although we have not called for a return to direct bilateral negotiations without preconditions. The UK’s vision for a future two-state solution is clear. It should be based on 1967 borders with agreed land swaps, Jerusalem as the shared capital of both states, and with a just, fair and agreed settlement for refugees.