The UK government faces more pressure from veteran Labour MPs over revelations by The National that an employee at the British Embassy in Tel Aviv lives in an illegal settlement in the occupied West Bank.
Emily Thornberry, who chairs the Foreign Affairs Select Committee, told The National that the revelation was “shocking”.
“The government has taken a strong stance on settlements – though my committee has made it clear they should be doing more. So for a member of staff to be, on the face of it, in such flagrant breach is a matter of great concern and I will be asking questions about it,” Ms Thornberry added.
The settlement was built by an organisation that is sanctioned in the UK.
The British government has so far offered no explanation as to how the employee, who has worked at the British embassy in Israel for 16 years, was allowed to buy property on the illegal outpost of Kerem Reim and promote it on social media.
Emily Thornberry chairs the UK parliament's Foreign Affairs Select Committee. PA
The Foreign Affairs Select Committee scrutinises the government's foreign policy and has published a report on the Israel-Palestine conflict during Ms Thornberry's tenure as the group's chairwoman. It has called for a "comprehensive ban" on imports from illegal settlements in the West Bank.
Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper warned that the Gaza ceasefire was "highly fragile" on Tuesday, as she called for more aid to enter the strip.
"Aid into Gaza is still a trickle rather than a flood," she told MPs. "We need all of the land crossings open – including the Rafah border with Egypt - with longer and con
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