Barry Sheerman – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Barry Sheerman on 2016-09-12.
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what steps he is taking to help promote and protect the human rights of the Bedouin community in Israel and the Occupied Territories.
Mr Tobias Ellwood
The UK is firmly committed to the promotion and protection of human rights and compliance with international law in the Occupied Palestinian Territories (OPTs). We have a regular dialogue with the Government of Israel with regard to the implementation of their obligations under international law, and regularly and robustly raise our serious concerns on issues relating to Israeli actions in the OPTs.
We have supported Bedouin communities and Palestinians in Area C facing demolition or eviction through support to Rabbis for Human Rights and the Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC) legal aid programme. This helps individuals challenge decisions in the Israeli legal system. The NRC has successfully suspended demolitions and evictions so that Palestinians can remain in their homes in 97% of the cases they represent.
The treatment of the Bedouin within Green Line Israel is a separate matter. We have been encouraging the Israeli authorities and Bedouin communities to find a satisfactory solution to this issue, respecting the equality of all of Israel’s citizens in a way which avoids forced relocations.
