The Gaza conflict affects us all

Why? Because a peaceful resolution of Israel/Palestine could solve or reduce conflicts and tensions elsewhere in the Middle East – and improve global security. A peace agreement giving Israel security in her territory, and Palestinians their own country in Gaza and the West Bank, would be the biggest step forward for peace across the world in decades.

Equally, killing on the appalling scale we are witnessing now is a serious threat, radicalising opinion in the Arab world not just against Israel but against those countries who are considered to support Israel, especially the United States. Anti-western sentiment was fed by the Iraq war. Expect the same now.

Last November, as the Liberal Democrat Shadow Foreign Secretary, I visited Israel and the West Bank, meeting key players in the peace negotiations. For the first time, I understood how Israelis feel threatened by the terrorist attacks they suffer from. And I also began to appreciate the daily injustices experienced by many Palestinians.

I had been encouraged by my trip. Peace negotiations were making substantial progress. Life on the West Bank had been improving – even if in Hamas-controlled Gaza, things were reportedly dire.

That’s why the violence now is so depressing, as well as so wrong. I consider myself a friend of Israel, as a beacon of democracy in the region. Yet in allowing herself to be provoked by the Hamas rockets, when previously she had been so remarkably (and successfully) restrained, I fear Israel is playing into the hands of the extremists, undermining the moderate Palestinians with whom a peace agreement is possible.

Debate in the House of Commons

The following does not appear in the Informer article but is directly related to it.

You can read my contribution to the debate on Gaza in the House of Commons on 15th January.

Here is the text of my opening speech:

The right hon. Member for Manchester, Gorton (Sir Gerald Kaufman) has made a powerful speech containing a great deal of knowledge and feeling. While I may not choose all the words that he chose, I entirely share many of his sentiments, and particularly agree with his point about the arms embargo. All the Liberal Democrats agree with him on that point of substance.

I also agree, however, with much of what the Minister said. I thought that he had the balance right in some of his criticisms of Hamas, which were very valid and must be made-were, indeed, made by the right hon. Member for Manchester, Gorton. He was right not to shirk from using the word "disproportionate" to describe the Israeli action. But I urge the Government, in their discussions with the Israeli Government, to make clear that we in the House of Commons consider the Israeli action to be a disaster for Israel. It may achieve some tactical victories in destroying Hamas infrastructure, it may succeed in killing Hamas fighters and it may even reduce the frequency of some of the rocket attacks, but I believe that this is already a strategic defeat for Israel. I believe that we are seeing Hamas strengthened, not just in Gaza but on the west bank and elsewhere. I think we are seeing serious international damage done to the reputation of Israel. I really am very sorry about that, and hope that Israel will begin to realise that it is happening.

When I visited Israel and the west bank last November and talked to people at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and to Dr. Fayyad of the Palestinian Authority, there was a feeling that Hamas was beginning to lose the PR war and the support of many Palestinians, and was becoming isolated internationally. It was not being seen as delivering, and even on the streets it was being opposed by increasing numbers of Palestinians. The effect of the Israeli action has been to reverse that in just a few days.

The Israelis ought to know better. Hamas is an organisation that enjoys martyrdom, and seeks it for many of its activists. Unfortunately it is strengthened by that, despite all the efforts of the Israelis to put their side of the argument-and there is a side. We all know of the horrendous nature of the rocket attacks on Ashkelon and Sderot, for instance. We know about the civilian casualties-about the 311 children killed, the 76 women killed, the 1,459 children wounded. Numbers like that are unacceptable, and we should say loud and clear to the Israelis that this does their case no good whatsoever.

There is suffering on a scale that I do not think we have seen in recent times. There is a humanitarian catastrophe, with a lack of food, clean water, electricity and medicine. Blockades are preventing people who are wounded from seeking treatment. There is trauma for children and families. This is something that we cannot sit back and allow, and our voice should be loud against it.

You can read the rest of the debate, with my responses, on Hansard.