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The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my
hon. Friend the Member for Bournemouth East (Mr Ellwood), raised strong concerns over
the plans to move the Bedouin population from Area C with the Israeli Justice Minister
on 6 October during his visit to Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territories between
5-8 October The issue was also raised by officials from our Embassy in Tel Aviv in
meetings with senior officials in the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the
Israeli Prime Minister's Office. We regularly make clear, publicly and privately,
to Israel our serious concerns about the actual or threatened demolition of Palestinian
homes and infrastructure in the West Bank, and the need for a planning process that
adequately addresses the needs of Palestinian communities. Demolitions cause unnecessary
suffering to ordinary Palestinians; are harmful to the peace process; and are, in
all but the most exceptional of cases, contrary to international humanitarian law.
The Fourth Geneva Convention is clear that the destruction of any real or personal
property in Occupied Territory is not justified unless it is rendered absolutely necessary
by military operations. We also make clear to Israeli officials that forcible transfer
would be a breach of International Humanitarian Law and would have serious ramifications
on Israel’s international standing.
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