Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they intend to initiate dialogues, whether under their own auspices or those of other neutral states, between Israelis and Palestinians, along the lines suggested by Mr David Grossman in the <i>International New York Times</i> of 29 July.

The Government currently supports a range of projects in Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territories which involve both Israeli and Palestinian implementing partners. Whilst the projects currently being funded do not necessarily have a specific objective of bringing Israelis and Palestinians together, or constitute ‘joint’ projects as such, much of the work our implementers do involve Israelis and Palestinians working together. Our Conflict Prevention programme includes a focus on supporting and strengthening constituencies for peace. This includes support to train Palestinian doctors in Israeli hospitals; fostering people-to-people relations between the two communities, promoting coexistence and confidence building, whilst building the capabilities of the Palestinian healthcare system.