§ Angus RobertsonTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment his Department has made of the report on housing conditions in the West bank and the Gaza Strip, prepared last year by the United Nations Human Rights Commission's Special Rapporteur on housing; and if he will make a statement. [131629]
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§ Mr. RammellWe share Special Rapporteur Miloon Kothari's concerns about deteriorating housing conditions in the Occupied Territories and the wider human rights and humanitarian consequences of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. We are particularly concerned about the destruction of Palestinian infrastructure by the Israeli authorities. Such actions are provocative, exacerbate tension and undermine on-going efforts to bring about an end to violence and a return to negotiations. We continue to press Israel to end the disproportionate use of force, demolitions and destruction of infrastructure.
The UK Government's support to the Palestinians includes a combination of emergency and development assistance. Our humanitarian support has mainly focused on basic service provision, but we are also supporting an UN Relief and Works Agency project to rebuild housing in Jenin Refugee Camp, destroyed in 2002 during Operation Defensive Shield. While humanitarian assistance can help alleviate suffering, only a comprehensive solution to the conflict will provide the conditions for permanent improvement in Palestinian living conditions. We are encouraging Israel and the Palestinian Authority to resume implementation of the Quartet Roadmap to this end.