Tag: Baroness Tonge

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Tonge on 2016-06-06.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what strategy they have to prevent the annexation of the West Bank by Israel.

Baroness Anelay of St Johns

The UK’s longstanding position is clear: we support a negotiated settlement leading to a safe and secure Israel living alongside a viable and sovereign Palestinian state; based on 1967 borders with agreed land swaps, with Jerusalem as the shared capital of both states, and a fair and agreed settlement for refugees. We regularly urge Israel and the Palestinian Authority to work together to meet their obligations under the Oslo Accords. We also call on all parties to abide by International Humanitarian Law and to promote peace, stability and security.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Tonge on 2016-07-11.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what representations they plan to make to the government of Israel in the light of remarks by the UN Secretary General following his visit to Israel on 28 June urging the Israeli Prime Minister to work towards a negotiated two-state solution.

Baroness Anelay of St Johns

The British Government believes that a negotiated two-state solution is in the interests of both Israel and the Palestinians. While we do not plan to make specific representations to the Government of Israel about the remarks by the UN Secretary General, we will continue to work with our international partners, including the UN, in support of a two-state solution.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Tonge on 2016-09-12.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what representations they have made to the government of Israel regarding the data collected by the Coalition Against Construction Accidents, about the rates at which Palestinians, Israeli Arabs or foreign nationals have died on Israeli construction sites in the past five years.

Baroness Anelay of St Johns

We have not raised this issue with the Israeli authorities.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Tonge on 2016-10-11.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they intend to carry out a review of the system of granting visas to Palestinians coming to the UK on exchange schemes; and if so, when.

Baroness Williams of Trafford

There are no plans to change the visa system for Palestinians living in East Jerusalem or Ramallah.

As set out in the Immigration Rules, applications for a visit visa or EEA family permit can be made in any visa application centre, British diplomatic mission or consular post overseas where entry clearance applications are accepted. Applications for other types of entry clearance should be made in the applicant’s country of residence. Where there is no post in the country of residence, applications should be made to the designated application post.

There are three Visa Application Centres in the Occupied Palestinian Territories designated by the Secretary of State to accept visas applications. These are the Visa Application Centre at the American Colony Hotel in Jerusalem, the British Information and Services Office in Gaza City, and the British Council office in Ramallah. Applicants choose the location for their appointment to submit their application at the end of the online application process.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Tonge on 2015-11-17.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what representations they have made to the government of Israel about its decision to approve the construction of Israeli settlement units in Bethlehem and close to Ramallah.

Baroness Anelay of St Johns

Officials from our Embassy in Tel Aviv raised the issue of settlement announcements with the Israeli Ministry of Defence on 17 November and the Israeli Deputy National Security Adviser on 18 November. The Government has repeatedly condemned settlement announcements, and we will continue to call on the Israeli authorities to cease all settlement building and to remove illegal outposts, as required under international law.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Tonge on 2015-12-07.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government further to the Written Answer by Baroness Anelay of St Johns on 17 November (HL3625), what representations they are making to the government of Israel regarding the identification of the ages of Palestinian children prior to their arrest and detention.

Baroness Anelay of St Johns

Officials from our Embassy in Tel Aviv raised this issue with the Israeli Ministry of Justice (MoJ) when they met on 3 November and were informed that a small number of children under 12 had been detained. The Israeli MoJ stated that once their age was established, the minors were released. They also told officials that if identification was not available, parents of the individuals were contacted via the Palestinian District Coordination Office. Since the publication of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office-funded independent report on Children in Military Custody in June 2012, there has been some progress on the issue of children held in military detention in Israel. This includes a pilot to use summons instead of night-time arrests, changes to standard operating procedures on methods of restraint, and steps to reduce the amount of time a child can be detained before seeing a judge. While we welcome improvements, we continue to push for the full implementation of changes and to encourage further changes in practice.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Tonge on 2016-01-11.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what was the Department for International Development’s bilateral expenditure directly targeting HIV and AIDS in (1) 2013–14, and (2) 2014–15.

Earl of Courtown

Details of DFID expenditure can be found in Statistics on International Development GPEX tables, which I have attached. The latest published report contains 2013/14 data. Data for 2014/15 will be published in late January 2016.

DFID supports HIV prevention, treatment and care through a variety of bilateral channels including: projects and programmes at the country level; strengthening health systems in our partner countries to respond to the HIV epidemic; and funding research. We also provide support through multilateral channels and global partnerships such as the Global Fund and UNITAID. In 2013/14, bilateral spend on HIV was £48.4 million.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Tonge on 2016-02-01.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what representations they have made to the government of Israel regarding the arrest and detention of Mohammed Abu Tair.

Baroness Anelay of St Johns

We have not raised the specific case of the arrest and detention of Muhammad Abu Tair with the Israeli Authorities. However, we remain concerned about Israel’s extensive use of administrative detention which, according to international law, should be used only when security makes this absolutely necessary rather than as routine practice, and as a preventive rather than a punitive measure.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Tonge on 2016-02-22.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what representations they have made to the government of Israel on the aerial spraying of herbicides on 187 hectares of crops within the borders of Gaza in late December 2015.

Baroness Anelay of St Johns

While we have not raised this specific issue with the Israeli authorities, we remain deeply concerned by the situation in Gaza.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Tonge on 2016-03-07.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what has been the total financial commitment by the UK to Gaza since fighting ceased in 2014.

Baroness Verma

The UK provided more than £17 million in immediate humanitarian assistance for those affected by the Gaza conflict in the summer of 2014. In October 2014, the UK pledged a further £20 million in early recovery assistance at the Gaza Reconstruction Conference in Cairo. The UK has disbursed this pledge in its entirety. Since then the UK has provided more than £25 million of additional support to Gaza for a range of activities, including basic service delivery and support to the private sector.