Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what representations they have made to government of Israel concerning the banning of non-governmental organisations such as Amnesty International from working in Israel.

We have not raised this issue with the Israeli authorities as Amnesty International are not banned from working in Israel.

Officials from our Embassy in Tel Aviv have, however, raised our concerns with the Israeli National Security Adviser and the Israeli Office for the Coordination of Government Activities in the Territories (COGAT) on access to Gaza for non-governmental organisations. Our deputy Ambassador to Tel Aviv sent a letter to the Head of COGAT, Major General Mordechai, in mid-August requesting that Amnesty be granted access to Gaza.