Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to prevent the demolition of homes and buildings in the Palestinian Authority-controlled area of Wadi Hummus; and what assessment they have made of any future implications of any such demolition for other properties in Palestinian Authority areas.

In a statement on 23 July the British Government, along with the Governments of France, Germany and Spain, strongly condemned the demolition by Israel of buildings in the district of Wadi al Hummus.

We remain seriously concerned by the continued demolition of Palestinian property by Israeli authorities. In all but the most exceptional of circumstances, demolition in occupied territories is contrary to International Humanitarian Law and to UN Security Council resolutions. The practice causes unnecessary suffering to ordinary Palestinians and is harmful to the peace process. The UK is focused on preventing demolitions from happening in the first place through our funding to the Norwegian Refugee Council legal aid programme which helps residents challenge decisions in the Israeli legal system.