The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Tonge on 2014-05-07.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what steps they intend to take to end Israel’s occupation of the West Bank.
Baroness Warsi
The British Government still sees negotiations towards a two state solution as the best way to meet the national aspirations of Israelis and Palestinians and lead to a sovereign, viable and contiguous Palestinian state, living in peace and security alongside a safe and secure Israel.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Tonge on 2014-06-11.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what discussions they have held with the government of Bahrain concerning the number of children who have been arrested there since 2011.
Baroness Warsi
Our Embassy in Manama has raised the rates of imprisonment of young people with the Ministry of the Interior and senior members of the Government of Bahrain on several occasions. This included supporting the decision by the Ombudsman’s Office of the Ministry of the Interior to investigate fully concerns about the imprisonment of children set out by human rights non-governmental organisations last year.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Tonge on 2014-05-07.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what action they intend to take to support access to Israeli courts for Palestinian civilian victims of military or settler violence.
Baroness Warsi
The British Government provides funding through our Conflict Pool for the Israeli non-governmental organisation Yesh Din to provide legal aid to victims of settler violence. We do not currently have plans to expand this support to those affected by Israeli military actions.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Tonge on 2014-06-17.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government with whom they have had discussions about including Millennium Development Goal 5b in the World Health Organisation’s draft health goal for the post-2015 framework.
Baroness Northover
The UK Government has had discussions with a broad range of interested parties about the importance of including universal access to sexual and reproductive health and rights in the post-2015 framework, recognising the unfinished business of MDG5b on universal access to reproductive health. These parties include other national governments, international organisations and NGOs.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Tonge on 2014-05-07.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the United States’ Secretary of State’s prediction that Israel risks becoming an apartheid state.
Baroness Warsi
The British Government has made no assessment of this issue. A negotiated two-state agreement remains the only way to resolve the conflict.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Tonge on 2014-06-17.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what plans they have to advocate the inclusion of Millennium Development Goal 5b in the World Health Organisation’s draft health goal for the post-2015 framework.
Baroness Northover
As we have already made clear, the UK supports a target to ensure universal access to sexual and reproductive health for all. Language on this is included in the most recent draft goals and targets list released by the co-chairs of the Open Working Group (OWG) on 2 June.
The final targets in the post-2015 development framework will however be subject to international negotiations in the United Nations, in which the UK will play an active role.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Tonge on 2014-05-07.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what action they intend to take, other than increasing the aid budget, to reduce food insecurity and unemployment in the Gaza Strip.
Baroness Northover
UK support to Gaza includes providing food vouchers to 5,750 households. Our support provides work and an income to 5,300 vulnerable refugees in Gaza, and short term placements to boost the skills and employability of around 1,000 refugee women. We provide long term, predictable support to UNRWA’s General Fund, around 33% of which is spent in Gaza. Our support to the UN Access Coordination Unit helps 24 UN agencies and 90 INGOs get aid and goods into Gaza. Through our programme we are also helping to develop the Palestinian private sector. Movement and access restrictions prevent sustainable recovery of the Palestinian economy, so we continue to press the Government of Israel to ease those restrictions and allow the export of goods from Gaza to Israel and transfers to the West Bank.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Tonge on 2014-06-12.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what discussions they have held with their European partners with regard to listing Israeli settler groups such as Hilltop Youth as terrorist groups, following the United States State Department’s description of recent settler acts of violence as terrorist incidents.
Lord Taylor of Holbeach
We do not routinely comment on whether an organisation is or is not under consideration for proscription.
A decision to proscribe an organisation must be based on a belief that it is concerned in terrorism as defined in the Terrorism Act 2000, and it must be proportionate.
The list of proscribed terrorist organisations can be found at:
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The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Tonge on 2014-05-07.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what representations they have made to the government of Israel concerning reports of Christian pilgrims being fired on with tear gas by the Israeli military at the Tomb of Lazarus in East Jerusalem.
Baroness Warsi
An official from our Embassy in Tel Aviv raised this incident with an Israel Defence Forces (IDF) spokesperson on 8 May. The spokesperson maintained that the Israeli soldiers did not fire tear gas directly at the pilgrims but at Palestinian protesters nearby who were throwing stones at the IDF soldiers.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Tonge on 2014-05-07.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what action they intend to take to secure compensation for the European Union-funded humanitarian housing shelters close to Ma’ale Adumim, which were demolished by Israeli authorities on 9 April.
Baroness Northover
Any decision to respond to these demolitions would be taken by the EU rather than the UK. We and our EU partners regularly lobby Israel against the demolition of Palestinian homes and infrastructure and forced transfer of population in Area C and East Jerusalem. Officials most recently raised the issue of demolitions with the office of Prime Minister Netanyahu on 1 May.On 5 May the EU missions in Jerusalem and Ramallah issued a statement condemning recent home demolitions and evictions of Palestinians in the occupied West Bank and urging Israel against such actions.