Question
To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, if he will make an assessment of the potential implications for his policies of the (a) reported Israeli settler violence and intimidation against the Armenian community of Jerusalem and (b) attempted takeover of the Cows Garden plot in the Armenian Quarter of Old Jerusalem by Israeli settler organisations linked with Xana Capital.
Answer
The UK is monitoring the situation in the Cow Garden site of the Armenian Quarter of Old Jerusalem and are clear on the need to avoid any further rise in tensions. The British Consulate Jerusalem will be meeting representatives on this issue in the coming week. The UK's position on the status of Jerusalem is clear and long-standing: it should be determined in a negotiated settlement between the Israelis and the Palestinians, and Jerusalem should ultimately be the shared capital of the Israeli and Palestinian states. The UK is a strong believer in the need to preserve Jerusalem's strong multi-ethnic, multi-faith character. The UK is also a strong supporter of Freedom of Religion or Belief (FoRB) and an advocate for the integrity of cultural important areas to be respected. The UK continues to take a strong stance against settler violence, and urges Israel to take stronger action to stop settler violence and hold the perpetrators accountable.