Hilary Benn – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Hilary Benn on 2015-10-16.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent discussions he has had with the Israeli government on the use of force by Israeli security personnel in response to protests.

Mr Philip Hammond

On 15 October, the Charge d’Affaires at our Embassy in Israel raised our concerns with Israel’s Deputy National Security Adviser, including specific discussions around punitive demolitions and the security at the Temple Mount/Haram al Sharif. On 16 October the National Security Adviser, Mark Lyall Grant, spoke with Israel’s National Security Adviser, Yossi Cohen, about the violence in Jerusalem and called for de-escalation and the need to do everything possible to keep the situation calm. Our officials at our Embassy in Tel Aviv continue to urge both sides to de-escalate the current tensions.