Oral question asked in the House of Commons, by Lord Campbell of Pittenweem (Liberal Democrat). It was answered on Tuesday, 29 November 2005 on behalf of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office.

Israel

Question: What will the British Government do to prevent the illegal encirclement of Jerusalem from continuing?

Answer: We continue to make strong representations both directly to the Israeli Government—I keep doing that—and to the Government of the United States, the Government with the most influence in the world over the Israeli Government. The sooner we reach final-status negotiations, the easier it will be to resolve the issue of the wall. The Israelis say that they are ready to shift the wall, as they shifted an earlier line of control in the Lebanon, as soon as there is political agreement on the borders between the new state of Palestine and the state of Israel. Those issues are to be resolved in the final-status negotiations. My reply to the Israelis is that while in one sense shifting a wall is straightforward, it would be profoundly objectionable for settlements to be built within the wall to pre-empt any shifting of it later.

Secondary information

Type: Oral question
Reference: 440 c119
Session: 2005-06
Oral question type: Supplementary
Chamber / Committee: House of Commons chamber
Subjects: Middle East Peace negotiations Jerusalem Armed conflict Elections Political parties Israel Gaza Occupied territories
Link: View this Oral question on www.publications.parliament.uk