§ Lord Kennetasked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether, as reported in Ha'aretz, the Foreign Office has been levelling "harsh criticism at Israel on the issue of human rights and the attitude towards the Palestinians" and if so what accounts for the apparent discrepancy between government departments.
§ Lord CheshamThe article referred to inHa'aretz described the visit of the Israeli Defence Minister Yitzhak Mordechai. My right honourable friend the Foreign Secretary discussed human rights and Israeli/Palestinian relations with Mr. Mordechai, among many other matters. We regularly raise human rights issues with both Israeli and Palestinian authorities, focusing on individual cases.