settlements

Meanwhile, a crackdown on informal settlements that police say harbour criminals saw more than 220 shanty homes bulldozed in August.

Israeli leaders in recent weeks announced new settlements in the West Bank and said that the military would proceed with an all-out assault against Gaza City.

One of the UAE's key conditions for signing was that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's previous government halt its plans to annex parts of the West Bank, including settlements and the Jordan Valley.

The Department of Health said it was never desirable for public money to be used for legal or financial settlements.

Lammy also condemned the Israeli government for continuing to approve illegal settlements in the West Bank, saying it was "tightening its stranglehold on the Palestinian economy".