Vol. 410 No. 2
38 Mr. Sherlock asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs if he has lodged any protest with the Israeli authorities regarding their practice of demolishing the homes of families in the occupied territories as part of a policy of collective punishment; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
48 Mr. Ferris asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs if he has protested to the Israeli Government against the Pass Law which restricts the movement of workers across the Green Line from the West Bank into Israel (details supplied).
I propose to take Questions Nos. 38 and 48 together.
The Twelve have been monitoring closely the restrictions on the movement of Palestinian workers from the occupied territories to Israel and have made known their concern to the Israeli Government. There are different estimates as to the overall number involved but it is clear that the number of workers travelling into Israel has been reduced by more than half and that this has adversely affected the economic situation of the population in the territories.
Along with our partners of the Twelve, we have consistently called on the Government of Israel to respect human rights in the Occupied Territories. The Twelve have expressed to the Israeli authorities our concern about the Israeli practices of collective reprisals such as the destruction of houses and restrictions on freedom of movement, and have deplored the decision to place moderate Palestinians under administrative arrest. We have also made known our concerns at the Commission for Human Rights which met in Geneva earlier this year. We will continue to draw attention to such injustices and seek, in co-operation with our colleagues in the Twelve, to bring them to an end.
