The UK and Global Freedom of Religion or Belief
The briefing sets out international commitments on freedom of religion or belief, reports of discrimination, and UK international work on the issue.

A parliamentary election took place in Israel on 17 March 2015. No party won an overall majority, but Likud – the centre-right party of Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu – remained the largest party. This note provides a summary of developments.
Election in Israel (220 KB , PDF)
Snap elections to the Knesset, Israel’s unicameral Parliament, were held on 17 March 2015. No party won an overall majority, but Likud – the centre-right party of Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu – remained the largest party. A new coalition administration is expected to be formed in the coming weeks, with Netanyahu remaining as Prime Minister.
International reaction to the result has not been positive, largely because of comments made by Netanyahu during the campaign. On the day before the election, he explicitly ruled out the notion of a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict during his premiership. This was unexpected: Netanyahu had not previously ruled out a two-state solution, and indeed appears to have revised his position slightly in the days since the election.
This note provides further details on these developments.
Election in Israel (220 KB , PDF)
The briefing sets out international commitments on freedom of religion or belief, reports of discrimination, and UK international work on the issue.
The Absent Voting (Elections in Scotland and Wales) Bill would allow for the alignment of rules on absent voting arrangements between reserved and devolved elections in Scotland and Wales.
Election rules state elections must be held using a set timetable. This briefing explains the timetable for by-elections to the UK Parliament.