Israel and Palestine: Gaza

Lord Dykes
asked Her Majesty's Government:

What steps they will take to obtain a positive response from the Government of Israel to the letter from the European Union monitoring chief, Pietro Pistolese, and the United States security co-ordinator, Lieutenant General Dayton, seeking Israeli agreement to a second border mission at Karni in the Gaza Strip.[HL7720]

The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Foreign and Commonwealth Office (Lord Triesman)
General Pistolese and General Dayton wrote to the Government of Israel on 29 September asking for the Rafah crossing to be opened. We continue to call for the full implementation of the agreement on movement and access, and will continue to work with partners to achieve that goal. The letter mentions the possibility of an EU monitoring presence at the Karni crossing. We understand the importance of the Karni crossing for the Palestinian people and are working closely with US security co-ordinator General Dayton on plans to improve security there and improve its operation. General Dayton has discussed his plans with Israel and is meeting both parties to take his plans forward on 7 November.