Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the impact on any future two-state negotiations of Israel’s recent designation as state land of land at Gvaot outside Bethlehem.

The British Government's assessment of Israel’s decision on 31 August to expropriate almost 990 acres of privately owned Palestinian land near Bethlehem, is that this presents an obstacle to peace and takes us further away from a two state solution at a time when negotiations to achieve this objective urgently need to be resumed. We have strongly urged the Government of Israel to reverse this decision.