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West Bank

Volume 494: debated on Monday 15 June 2009

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent assessment he has made of the security situation in the West Bank; and if he will make a statement. (278639)

The Palestinian Authority is making very significant progress in developing the capability and professionalism of its security forces. In particular the reinforcement of Palestinian Authority security forces in the main urban centres of the west bank—including Jenin, Nablus, and Hebron—has meant that those cities are much safer today than they were a year ago. We support fully the Palestinian Authority's determination to uphold the principle of the legitimate law enforcement agencies having a monopoly on the use of force and its subsequent attempts to control armed militias operating in the west bank. On the Palestinian side, building a fully effective criminal justice system remains an immediate challenge. On the Israeli side, it is imperative that the Israeli Defence Forces (IDF) give the Palestinian security forces the space to take full responsibility for the security situation in Area A and increasing responsibility for the security situation in Area B.