Britain Lists Israel As Nation With Human Rights Record 'Of Concern'

In the quarterly report published, which considers the period between October and December 2012, Israel sits in the company of Afghanistan, Belarus, Iran and Zimbabwe – countries the foreign office considers to have a human rights record 'of particular concern'. The Palestinian Authority is also included, although it is noted that Israel's refusal to deliver Palestinian customs revenue has undermined the leadership's capacity to enforce law and order.

The four-page entry on Israel lingers on November's intense bombing campaign in the Gaza Strip and recently announced plans to expand dramatically Israel's settler presence in the West Bank.

Following the Palestinian Authority's successful bid for upgraded status at the United Nations last November, Israel announced it would push ahead with plans to build 3,000 new settler homes in the E1 areas of East Jerusalem and the West Bank. The UK, along with Spain, Denmark and Sweden, to summoned its Israeli ambassador in protest.

"Support for Israel is starting to erode and that's not about these people on the fringe … The interesting category are those members of parliament in the middle, and in that group I see a shift," Mr Gould told Israel's Channel 10 in August.

Via: "The Telegraph"