Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they intend to take action in respect of Israel's recent appropriation of land for settlement building between the Etzion settlement bloc in the Bethlehem area and Jerusalem.

The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my hon. Friend the Member for Bournemouth East (Mr Ellwood) discussed his strong concerns about the issue of settlements and land expopriation with the Israeli Justice Minister on 6 October during his visit to Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territories.

Discussions are continuing in Brussels on how the EU can best discourage settlement expansion, and the UK is working closely with other Member States to that end.