Thank you for contacting me about the recent report by Amnesty International on the Israel-Palestine conflict. I have spoken and written extensively about this topic in the past, and feel passionately about ending violence in the region and finding a two-state solution.

The situation facing many Palestinians is dire and there are, unfortunately, huge barriers to achieving peace. These barriers include the demolition of homes and the eviction of Palestinians in the occupied territories, the construction of illegal settlements, the threat of annexation and the two-tier system that Palestinians are living under that the report describes.

This is a detailed report, which I and my colleagues will examine carefully. All who care about building a just and peaceful future for both Palestinians and Israelis should recognise the need to address the injustices at the heart of this conflict.

That must include ending the extensive discrimination faced by Palestinians, especially in the West Bank and Gaza, and stopping the evictions, demolitions and settlement expansion in the occupied territories that run counter to international law and undermine prospects for peace.

The UK simply cannot be a passive observer when it comes to events in the occupied Palestinian territories and the UK Government should press the Israeli authorities to end violations and injustices suffered by Palestinians when in contact with Israeli authorities. Without an insistence on basic protections for the rights of Palestinians, I believe it will only be harder to make the progress we all want to see towards a long term, sustainable peace in the Middle East and breaches of international human rights law must be appropriately responded to.

I remain resolutely committed to a negotiated, diplomatic settlement to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict based on two states: a safe and secure Israel, alongside a viable and sovereign Palestinian state. There will not be a just and lasting peace until the occupation is brought to a permanent end and both Palestinians and Israelis enjoy security, dignity and human rights.