Minister condemns demolition in East Jerusalem
Foreign Office Minister Alistair Burt responds to reports that work has begun to enable creation of a new illegal settlement in occupied East Jerusalem.
Alistair Burt said:
“The British Government reaffirms its strong, long-standing opposition to the creation of this new illegal settlement in occupied East Jerusalem and condemns today’s demolition in Sheikh Jerrah. The establishment and expansion of settlements in the occupied Palestinian territories are illegal.
We oppose provocative unilateral actions such as this, which hinder efforts to resume talks between the two parties leading to a two-state solution to this conflict, with Jerusalem as the shared capital of the two states living side by side in peace and security. That is the way forward. This latest settlement activity does not help - on the contrary, it raises tensions unnecessarily.”