§ Dr. TongeTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions he has had with members of the Quartet concerning an arms embargo on Israel.[186161]
§ Mr. RammellBoth our EU partners and we are guided by the EU Code of Conduct on arms exports which means that we will not issue licences where there is a clear risk that the equipment might be used for internal repression or aggressively against another country.
The UK government has had no discussions with the Quartet (UN, US, Russia, EU) concerning an arms embargo on Israel.
§ Tom BrakeTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what advice his Department has given to contractors working on the Israeli security wall on the International Court of Justice ruling on the legality of the wall. [186246]
§ Mr. MacShaneThe UK Government have consistently made clear their view that the building of the barrier on occupied land is illegal and harms the prospects for peace. We have urged the Israeli Government to re-route it away from occupied land, and continue to do so.
Although agreements between the Israeli Government and UK contractors are a commercial and contractual issue in which the Government cannot get directly involved, we hope that contractors will take our view on the barrier into account. The UK Government are not aware of any UK companies working on the construction of the Israeli barrier.
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§ Tom BrakeTo ask the Secretary of Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will list the UK companies involved in the construction of the Israeli security wall [186247]
§ Mr. MacShaneThe UK Government is not aware of any UK companies involved in the construction of the Israeli barrier.
§ Dr. TongeTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations he has made to the Israeli Government concerning the Citizenship and Entry into Israel law due for review at the end of July; and what assessment he has made of the human rights aspects of this law. [185441]
§ Mr. RammellMy noble Friend the Baroness Symons of Vernham Dean discussed this law and its effects with several human rights groups during her visit to Israel in October 2003. Our Embassy in Tel Aviv has also raised the law and its impact with representatives of the Israeli government.
The Israeli Cabinet has approved a number of amendments to this law and extended it for six months rather than one year. Nonetheless, the Government remains concerned that this law discriminates against Arab Israelis. Along with our EU partners, we will continue to monitor the law and its effect on Arab Israelis.
§ Dr. TongeTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations he has made to the UN concerning the positioning of a human rights rapporteur in the Occupied Palestinian Territories. [185444]
§ Mr. RammellThe UK Government welcomes the efforts of John Dugard, the Special Rapporteur on the Situation of Human Rights in the Occupied Palestinian Territories. We remain gravely concerned by the humanitarian situation in the occupied territories, and we continue to raise our concerns with the Government of Israel.
My right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary has made no specific representations to the UN about the positioning of a human rights rapporteur in the occupied territories.
§ Dr. TongeTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations he has made to the Israeli Government concerning underground aquifers and other water resources enclosed on the Israeli side of the security barrier. [185445]
§ Mr. RammellMy right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary and my noble Friend the Baroness Symons of Vernham Dean expressed concerns about the impact of the barrier, in particular the humanitarian impact on the lives of Palestinians, with a number of Israeli Ministers, most recently with the Israeli Foreign Minister Silvan Shalom. The damaging effect that the barrier has had on Palestinian access to water resources is one of the aspects our representations have focused on.