Written question asked by Lord Hylton (Crossbench) on Monday, 8 June 2020, in the House of Lords. It was due for an answer on Monday, 22 June 2020. It was answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon (Conservative) on Thursday, 18 June 2020 on behalf of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office.

Israeli Settlements

Question: Her Majesty's Government what plans they have, if any, to (1) end visa-free entry to the UK for Israeli citizens, and (2) consider other sanctions, in response to the annexation of new areas of land by Israel.

Answer: We will not discuss possible responses to hypothetical situations. The Foreign Secretary made clear our concerns about reports that the new Israeli Government coalition has reached an agreement, which may pave the way for annexation of parts of the West Bank, during a call with the Israeli Foreign Minister on 2 June. We also reiterated our concerns at the UN Security Council remote meeting on the Middle East Peace Process on 20 May. The UK position is clear: any unilateral moves towards annexation of parts of the West Bank by Israel would be damaging to efforts to restart peace negotiations and contrary to international law.

Secondary information