Baroness Tonge – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Tonge on 2015-10-19.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what representations they have made to the government of Israel concerning the destruction of olive trees belonging to Palestinians in the West Bank in order to create a Nature Reserve.

Baroness Anelay of St Johns

We are well aware of the difficulties facing Palestinian olive growers and of the particular sensitivities around olive trees given their status as a national symbol and the sole source of income for many Palestinian farmers. We repeatedly express our serious concerns to the Israeli government about the destruction of olive trees, whether by the Israeli authorities or by extremist settlers. We hold the Israeli authorities responsible for enforcing the rule of law and providing the appropriate protection to the Palestinian civilian population.