§ 21. Richard BurdenTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent representations he has received concerning restrictions on movement within and into the Occupied Palestinian Territories by(a) Palestinians and (b) foreign nationals; and if he will make a statement. [150708]
§ Mr. RammellWe have received a number of representations from MPs, Peers, non-governmental organisations and members of the public concerning restrictions on movement within and into the Occupied Territories for both Palestinians and foreign nationals. Palestinian Minister of Foreign Affairs, Nabil Sha'ath, also raised his concerns about the impact of the fence, which contributes to curtailed freedom of movement, with the Foreign Secretary on 8 January.
We remain deeply concerned about the consequences for freedom of movement into and within the Occupied Territories for Palestinians and foreign nationals resulting from Israeli actions, including the imposition of curfews and closures, construction of the fence and introduction of access controls, including permits. We continue to call on the Government of Israel to do all it can to ease movement restrictions. We have raised the recently introduced entry regulations with the Israeli government and are exploring with our EU partners further avenues for doing so.