Lord Hylton – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Hylton on 2016-04-18.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the deaths of or injuries to Palestinians caused by Israeli forces, and the demolition of Palestinian houses in each month this year; and what assessment they have made of whether the representations they have made to Israel and Palestine are having any effect.
Baroness Anelay of St Johns
According to the Palestinian Red Crescent Society, 8 Palestinians were killed and 758 injured in January, 18 were killed and 491 injured in February, and 20 were killed and 335 injured in March. Some of these deaths and injuries have occurred following attacks on Israeli civilians or security personnel. The British Government remains deeply concerned at the continuation of violence in Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territories (OPTs). We urge all sides to de-escalate the tensions and avoid actions that threaten to exacerbate the situation. The Government is also extremely concerned at the large increase in demolitions in the OPTs since the start of 2016, compared to the monthly average in 2015. According to the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs in the OPTs, 85 structures were demolished in January, 237 in February, and 176 in March. Our Embassy in Tel Aviv regularly raises our concerns on demolitions with the Israeli authorities. The effect of these representations has not been assessed.
