Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what discussions they have had with the government of Israel following reports of the approval of a plan to build a further 770 housing units in the Gilo neighbourhood, south of Jerusalem.

The Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my Hon. Friend the Member for Bournemouth East (Mr. Ellwood), issued a statement on 8 December expressing our deep concern about 770 units in Gilo receiving final approval. We strongly condemn the pace of settlement advancement, increased plans for new settlements deep in the heart of the West Bank, and moves to retroactively approve unauthorised settlement outposts. We continue to raise our grave concerns about expansion of Israeli settlements with the Israeli Government.