The Foreign & Commonwealth Office in Whitehall, London
Roger has welcomed the recent announcement by Foreign Office Minister, Alistair Burt, to condemn the recent decision by the Israeli authorities to advance plans for 1096 settlement units in the West Bank, and to approve the construction of 63 new units in East Jerusalem.
“Actions do however speak louder than words” said Roger and the “growing closeness and collaboration of UK and Israeli defence establishments particularly in respect of the development of pilotless aircraft or ‘drone’ technology tells a different story”.
“How can you realistically talk about statehood for the Palestinians” he said “when you have just illegally annexed another chunk of somebody else’s land and you show every sign of repeating the process again and again”.
The Minister said: “Israeli settlements are illegal under international law, undermine trust and threaten the viability of the two-state solution. The UK urges the Israeli authorities to reverse these decisions.”
Roger agrees with the FCO’s view that: “The focus now must be on resumed negotiating efforts between the parties towards a two-state solution, starting with negotiations on 14 August. We urge both parties to continue to show the bold and decisive”. He does however believe that these recent settlement announcements are just another example of classic Israeli negotiation designed to undermine the process before it’s even gets off the ground.
Roger concluded: “What policy makers consistently fail to appreciate or find in more convenient and easier to ignore is that empty rhetoric of condemnation combined with issues of illegal settlements, opaque trading and technology sharing arrangements with Israel, drone attacks and the collateral damage that ensues in the form of innocent civilian deaths and failed promises by President Obama to close Guantanamo Bay all act as a recruiting sergeant for terrorists.

This article appeared in the August edition of Roger's newsletter 'Postcard from Parliament'