Nicholas Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment he has made of the implications for the peace process of the announcement that more houses will be built in Ramat Shlomo. [145912]

Alistair Burt, Parliamentary Under Secretary of State: The UK's position on Israeli settlements is clear: they are illegal under international law, an obstacle to peace and make a two-state solution, with Jerusalem as a shared capital, harder to achieve. We consistently urge the Israeli authorities to cease all settlement building and to remove illegal outposts, as required under international law and in fulfilment of Israel's obligations under the Roadmap.

In this regard, we condemned the Israeli Government's decision on 30 November to build 3,000 new housing units in East Jerusalem and the West Bank and to unfreeze planning in the area known as El. We have called on the Israeli Government to reverse these decisions. I formally summoned the Israeli ambassador to the UK to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office on 3 December, to make clear the depth of our concerns. We emphasised our disappointment that Israel had failed to heed our calls for it not to respond to the vote at the UN General Assembly in a way that would undermine the peace process or the Palestinian Authority.

The Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my right hon. Friend the Member for Richmond (Yorks) (Mr Hague), issued a statement on 18 December condemning approvals for plans to build 1,500 housing units in the East Jerusalem neighbourhood of Ramat Shlomo.

Nicholas Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment he has made of the implications for the peace process of the announcement that houses will be built in Givat Hamatos. [145914]

Alistair Burt, Parliamentary Under Secretary of State: The UK's position on Israeli settlements is clear; they are illegal under international law, an obstacle to peace and make a two-state solution, with Jerusalem as a shared capital, harder to achieve. We consistently urge the Israeli authorities to cease all settlement building and to remove illegal outposts, as required under international law and in fulfilment of Israel's obligations under the Roadmap.

In this regard, we condemned the Israeli Government's decision on 30 November to build 3,000 new housing units in East Jerusalem and the West Bank and to unfreeze planning in the area known as El. We have called on the Israeli Government to reverse these decisions. I formally summoned the Israeli ambassador to the UK to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office on 3 December, to make clear the depth of our concerns. We emphasised our disappointment that Israel had failed to heed our calls for it not to respond to the vote at the UN General Assembly in a way that would undermine the peace process or the Palestinian Authority.

I issued a statement on 26 December condemning approvals for plans to build 3,150 units in Givaat Hamatos and 1,242 units in Mordot Gilo South, and the decision to upgrade Ariel College to university status, thereby creating the first university in a settlement illegal under international law.

Nicholas Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will commission research on the legality of importing produce from Israeli settlements in the occupied territories to the UK. [145915]

Alistair Burt, Parliamentary Under Secretary of State: We have no plans to commission research on the importing of produce from Israeli settlements in the Occupied Territories to the UK. We continue to work to take forward the commitment made by EU Foreign Ministers at the meeting of the EU Foreign Affairs Council on 14 May 2012, reaffirmed on 12 December 2012, to fully and effectively implement existing EU legislation and the bilateral arrangements applicable to settlement products. There are no plans to introduce domestic or European legislation to ban the import of settlement products.

Nicholas Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what legal advice he has sought on whether trade in products from Israeli settlements in the Occupied Palestinian Territories breaches the UK's obligation under international law. [145939]

Alistair Burt, Parliamentary Under Secretary of State: As my right hon. Friend will know, I am not able to comment on legal advice to Ministers. It is the Government's long-standing view that settlements are illegal under international law. We repeatedly call on Israel to abide by its obligations under international law and regularly raise our profound concerns over Israel's settlement policy. We will continue to press the next Israeli Government to cease all settlement activity.

Nicholas Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what steps he is taking to persuade Israel to stop the demolition of Palestinian homes. [145940]

Alistair Burt, Parliamentary Under Secretary of State: We have repeatedly made clear to the Israeli authorities our serious concern at the increase in demolitions of Palestinian properties in Area C of the west bank and in east Jerusalem. We view such demolitions and evictions as causing unnecessary suffering to ordinary Palestinians; as harmful to the peace process; and, in all but the most limited circumstances, as contrary to international humanitarian law.

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