Sir Nicholas Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what the objectives of the Government’s diplomatic and political policy on Palestine are for 2019; and if he will make a statement.
Dr Andrew Murrison, Minister of State for the Middle East at the Foreign & Commonwealth Office: The UK remains committed to the Palestinian people. Our priorities for 2019 include continuing to support a negotiated settlement leading to a safe and secure Israel living alongside a viable and sovereign Palestinian state, based on 1967 borders with agreed land swaps, Jerusalem as the shared capital of both states, and a just, fair, agreed and realistic settlement for refugees. We want to work with the Palestinians and the Israelis to address the financial crisis faced by the Palestinian Authority. I discussed these priorities with the Palestinian Foreign Minister Dr Riyad Al Malki when he visited London on 16 May.
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