§ Lord Hyltonasked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) enjoys access to all persons detained under martial law, whether in Israel or in the Occupied Territories of the West Bank; and, if not, whether they will seek to facilitate it. [HL781]
§ Baroness Symons of Vernham DeanThe ICRC does not currently enjoy access to all persons detained in Israel and the Occupied Territories. EU Heads of Mission in Tel Aviv monitor this situation carefully. We continue to urge the Israeli government to co—operate fully with the ICRC.
§ Lord Hyltonasked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether there has been any progress since May 1997 in obtaining access for the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) to all persons held in the fortress of Khiam, controlled by the South Lebanon Army; and whether there have been improvements in conditions within the prison.[HL780]
§ Baroness Symons of Vernham DeanThe ICRC has been denied access to Khiam since September 1997. We continue to urge the Israeli government to allow the ICRC to resume its humanitarian mission there. The Permanent Under Secretary at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office raised our concerns about Khiam when he met his Israeli counterpart in Jerusalem on 9 February.
179WAIn the absence of recent ICRC access to Khiam, we cannot say whether there have been improvements in the conditions within Khiam prison.