The Rt Hon Dominic Raab

Foreign Secretary

3 February 2021

Dear Foreign Secretary,

I have been contacted by constituents who are concerned about recent reports of human rights abuses by Israeli security forces in East Jerusalem and Jenin. I share my constituents' concerns and I would appreciate an outline of what you are doing in response to the following incidents. 

The Brighton & Hove National Educational Union has a special relationship with the Al Tafawk Children’s Centre in Jenin, an organisation which provides education for children from the refugee camp. I have been informed that, last month, the centre’s organiser, Mona Jalamnh, received a threatening phone call ordering her to attend a meeting at a checkpoint near Jenin, where she was ‘separated from her father, blindfolded, imprisoned and intimidated by Israeli soldiers for 24 hours’. I am told that Mona was asked about the Al Tafawk Centre and why she had started a children’s centre in Jenin, teaching Palestinian children.

I am also concerned about the eviction and forced displacement of Palestinian families from East Jerusalem. The UN has condemned the ordered eviction of several Palestinian families by Israeli courts and the seizure of their homes. The occupation of Palestinian lands and properties is illegal under international law, and the danger for, and impact on, families forced out of their homes is especially heightened during the coronavirus pandemic. 

The UK has a duty to uphold international law and do what it can to prevent human rights abuses and I would appreciate your considered response to my concerns about both the Al Tafawk Centre and the eviction of Palestinian families in East Jerusalem.