Written question asked by Lord Hylton (Crossbench), in the House of Lords. It was answered by Lord Howell of Guildford (Conservative) on Monday, 26 July 2010.

Israel

Question: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what steps they are taking to secure full implementation of United Nations Security Council Resolution 799 of December 1992; and whether they will raise the matter with the Government of Israel, and in the European Union and the United Nations Security Council.

Answer: UN Security Council Resolution (UNSCR) 799 relates to the deportation by Israel of some 400 Palestinian civilians to Lebanon for a period of one to two years In December 1992. We understand that all Palestinian civilians deported by Israel to Lebanon were returned to the Occupied Palestinian Territories (OPTs) in 1993 in accordance with Operative Paragraph 4 of UNSCR 799. Therefore, we judge that the Israeli Government have complied with the demands of this UNSCR. The forcible transfer of people out of the OPTs for political reasons is illegal and in contravention of the provisions on deportation of civilians in Article 49 of the Fourth Geneva Convention.

Secondary information