asked Her Majesty’s Government:

What they expect to be the implications for Israel if further houses are built in the occupied West Bank or if new outposts are set up or extended contrary to the road map and the Annapolis and previous agreements. [HL2839]

We have raised our concerns about recent reports regarding settlement activity with the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs and stressed that we see this as unhelpful particularly when Israelis and Palestinians should be focusing on full implementation of their obligations under phase 1 of the road map, which includes freezing all settlement activity, including natural growth.

As my right honourable friend the Foreign Secretary has recently stated, the UK believes that all Israeli settlements anywhere in the Occupied Palestinian Territories including the West Bank and East Jerusalem are illegal under international law. We believe that they are a serious impediment to a negotiated two-state solution.