Written question asked by Lord Hylton (Crossbench), in the House of Lords. It was answered by Lord Howell of Guildford (Conservative) on Wednesday, 25 January 2012.

Israel and Palestine: West Bank

Question: To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they are making representations to the Government of Israel about the recent vandalising of the mosque in Deir Istiya, near Salfit in the West Bank, and the associated destruction of three Palestinian-owned vehicles, allegedly by Israeli settlers.

Answer: We are concerned by recent incidents of settler violence, particularly deliberately provocative attacks by extremist settlers on places of worship, designed to aggravate tensions. Officials at our embassy in Tel Aviv have yet to discuss these specific incidents with the Israeli authorities, but the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my honourable friend the Member for North East Bedfordshire (Mr Burt) raised our concerns over settler violence with the Israeli authorities during his visit to Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territories between 8 and 10 January. He welcomed the clear condemnation of extremist settler attacks by Israeli leaders, and the stated intention of the Israeli Government to bring the perpetrators to justice. The package of measures announced by Prime Minister Netanyahu in response to settler violence was a welcome step forward. Mr Burt looked forward to seeing the results of these measures, and to seeing those behind these crimes punished under law.

Secondary information