§ Lord Hyltonasked Her Majesty's Government:
What representations they intend to make to the Government of Israel concerning the potential loss of greenhouses, olive trees and citrus trees belonging mainly to Palestinians which would result from the erection by Israel of a long security fence. [HL177]
§ Baroness AmosOur Embassy in Tel Aviv has already raised our concerns about the location and likely impact of the security fence with the Government of Israel. While we fully understand Israel's need to take steps, within the law, to protect itself from terrorist attack, lasting security can only be achieved through a negotiated peace.
We are particularly concerned that the construction of the 360km long fence will involve the seizure of more Palestinian land. As described in the Israeli media, it would run east of the Green Line for most of 108WA its length. Approximately 10 per cent of the entire West Bank will lie to the west, ie on the Israeli side of the fence. The northern and Jerusalem sections of the fence, approximately 215km long, will incorporate on the Israeli side approximately 7 per cent of the West Bank and 290,000 Palestinians, of whom 70,000 do not have Israeli residency cards and so will be under pressure to leave their homes. Construction of the fence has already led to the destruction of Palestinian farmland, and access to farmland lying to the west of the fence is in doubt. In this Government's view, the building of the fence and the displacement of the Palestinians is wrong. It harms the prospects for peace.
Our Embassy in Tel Aviv and the Consulate General in Jerusalem are monitoring the situation closely. Officials have travelled to Palestinian areas affected by construction of the fence to talk to farmers and other villagers and to see for themselves its impact. We will continue to make our concerns known to the Israeli authorities.