Julie Elliott MP asks about Israeli attempts to delegitimise human rights organisations operating in Palestine

Julie Elliott MP, who visited Palestine with Caabu and Medical Aid for Palestinians in September 2017, asked a question in Foreign Affairs Questions on 22 January 2019 about Israeli attemps to delegitimise human rights organisations operating in Palestine. She said: 

"What is the Government’s assessment of the report by the UN Office for the Co-ordination of Humanitarian Affairs about the rise in Israeli attempts to delegitimise human rights organisations operating in the Occupied Palestinian Territories, particularly humanitarian non-governmental organisations, and the negative impact that that has on their ability to represent Palestinian rights and organisations?"

 

Julie Elliott MP asks about Israeli attempts to delegitimise human rights organisations operating in Palestine 

 

Middle East Minister, Alistair Burt responded: 

"Israel, as a democracy in the middle east, has always prided itself on ensuring that those groups have the freedom to operate there, even if they challenge the Israeli Government. It is very important to the United Kingdom that that tradition is maintained, particularly at a time of crisis. The west bank needs those who are able to interpret the situation and speak honestly, both to the Palestinian Authority and to the state of Israel, and the more political space there is to do that, the better it will be all round for the prospects of peace."