Ask Foreign Office Minister Alistair Burt to help block demolitions in East Jeru

URGENT ACTION! The families of Silwan are living under threat of losing their homes. They need your support to stop the Jerusalem authorities from evicting them and demolishing their homes. Please write to the Foreign Office and the United Nations TODAY to do everything in their power to prevent the Mayor of Jerusalem from going ahead with this illegal act.

Alistair Burt, Middle East Minister
Mayor of Jerusalem
Mayor of Jerusalem staff
Robert Serry, UN

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I am writing to ask you to do all you can to stop the Jerusalem Municipality from carrying out their threat of widespread evictions and demolitions in Silwan, East Jerusalem. Reports indicate that demolition orders have been issued in the Al-Bustan neighbourhood of Silwan in addition to the 88 homes already under threat. The Israeli authorities have recently demolished several homes (see <a href="http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=559844&utm_source=twitterfeed&utm_medium=twitter">Maan News</a> for details)
The Jerusalem municipality’s decision to press forward with its plans to turn Silwan into an exclusive tourist site and national park could see more than 1,000 Palestinians forced from their homes. As you are aware this is illegal under international law as demolitions or population transfers in occupied territories are prohibited by the fourth Geneva Convention.
We are glad that the UK government has condemned the municipality’s plans for Silwan. We know that you as UK Foreign Office Minister have stated the British Government “condemn[s] the decision by the Jerusalem Local Planning and Building Committee to build additional structures in the Palestinian neighbourhood of Silwan” and views “demolitions and evictions in occupied territory as causing unnecessary suffering to ordinary Palestinians, as harmful to the peace process and, in all but the most limited circumstances, as contrary to international humanitarian law”.
We urge you now to impress upon the Jerusalem Municipality and the Government of Israel that if they go ahead with these threatened demolitions this could lead to actions not just words from the UK Government. The UK will have opportunities available at the EU to block further areas of EU cooperation until Israel agrees to abide by international law and end its campaign of settlement expansion and forced displacement in the occupied Palestinian territories, including East Jerusalem. My questions for the UK Government are:  1. What are you doing to prevent these demolitions and to oppose settlement plans by Israel? 2. What punitive action will the UK take if Israel goes ahead with these demolitons after our representations against them? 
The UK must not simply move on to trying to prevent the next catastrophic and illegal act by Israeli authorities. Instead, the UK and EU must develop policies in response to breaches of international law and human rights that are robust enough to disincentivise Israel from committing further violations.
I have copied in the United Nations Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process, Robert Serry, and the Mayor of Jerusalem into this email, in order to ensure that they are aware that many UK citizens are concerned for the welfare of Palestinians subjected to forced displacement.
Yours sincerely,

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Ask Foreign Office Minister Alistair Burt to help block demolitions in East Jeru

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