Baroness Tonge – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Tonge on 2016-05-03.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what representations they have made to the government of Israel regarding the ban on the import of cement into Gaza for the private sector since 3 April.

Baroness Anelay of St Johns

We remain deeply concerned by the situation in Gaza. Officials from our Embassy in Tel Aviv and our Consulate General in Jerusalem regularly raise the need to make progress towards a durable solution for Gaza, and press for practical steps to advance reconstruction and economic development with both the Israeli government and the Palestinian Authority.

We are concerned about recent reports of diversion of cement entering Gaza through the Gaza Reconstruction Mechanism. While we understand Israeli security concerns, new restrictions on the import of cement have resulted in a delay in reconstruction activity and will have a significant impact on employment. The Department for International Development’s support to the Material Monitoring Unit helps to identify such cases of diversion and ensure that appropriate action is taken.