A high number of constituents have been in touch with me deeply concerned about the situation in East Jerusalem. Thank you to all those who have written to me about this matter.
The forced evictions in Sheikh Jarrah must stop. I condemn attempts by Israeli settlers to take control of Palestinian homes.
Labour are clear that East Jerusalem has been illegally annexed. Israel is the occupying power which creates obligations that the Israeli government is not meeting. Israel must comply with international law.
It is totally unacceptable to see violence used against worshippers gathering during Ramadan at the al-Aqsa mosque. It is essential that holy sites are respected. The Israeli authorities must take steps to defuse the situation in the city. Labour is therefore calling on the UK government to make the strongest representations to the government of Israel to reduce tensions.
The Shadow Foreign Office team have also rightly strongly condemned the rocket attacks by Hamas, which threaten Israeli civilians.
The decision by the government of Israel to advance with the construction of settlement buildings in Givat HaMatos and the Har Homa E area of the occupied West Bank is deeply regrettable and should be challenged by the international community. These settlements are a violation of international law, entrench divisions, and seriously undermine the prospects for a viable Palestinian state.
I believe that the UK government should make urgent representations to the Israeli Government to halt all evictions in East Jerusalem, change planning laws which discriminate against Palestinians and suspend the construction of all other settlements in East Jerusalem and elsewhere in the West Bank immediately.
Labour believes that there must be a negotiated two state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict which ensures a safe and secure Israel, alongside a viable and sovereign Palestinian state.
This is something I will continue to work with others to help make a reality.
