HL Deb 19 June 2003 vol 649 c135WA
Lord Hylton

asked Her Majesty's Government:

What view the Quartet takes on the wall and fences being erected by the Government of Israel, and in particular the cutting off of the town of Qalqilya from both Israel and the West Bank; and what representations the Quartet is making. [HL3269]

Baroness Symons of Vernham Dean

The Quartet (USA, EU, UN and Russia) has not expressed a collective public view on the construction of the fence, but its roadmap calls on the Government of Israel to take no actions undermining trust, including the confiscation and/or demolition of Palestinian property.

European Union leaders urged Israel to end further land confiscation for the construction of the security fence when they met in Copenhagen in December 2002.

We are not aware of Quartet plans to make representations on the security fence or the situation in Qalqilya. My right honourable friend the Foreign Secretary conveyed the UK's concerns to the Israeli Foreign Minister during his visit of 15 May. We have also made representations through our Embassy in Tel Aviv.