Israel/Palestine
In April, I, along with Shockat Adam MP, had the opportunity to travel to Israel and the West Bank to see first-hand the situation unfolding. My reflections following this visit can be found by following the link: West Bank Reflections.
It’s so difficult to know where to begin. The feeling of helplessness, as each day brings news of fresh horrors, has become overwhelming. The cold-blooded slaughter of so many lives, including over 13,000 children, is totally unacceptable, even given the unforgivably horrific and barbaric Hamas attack in October 2023.
Perhaps my position is best described when contrasted with that of the present (and indeed the past) Prime Minister? In the Commons last October, the Prime Minister said he ‘stands with’ Israel. I told him, ‘I stand with peace’. That, of course, means standing with Israelis when they are under attack, whether by Hamas, Hezbollah or Iran. But equally, I stand with innocent civilians in Gaza, the West Bank and Lebanon.
I supported UK military involvement to protect innocent Israelis when they were under attack. But ‘where is the equivalence’, for Palestinians and Lebanese? Instead, we supply the weapons which (arguably) kill them. This must stop.
Though we are further than ever from the so-called ‘Two-State Solution’, it remains the only plausible long-term solution. Israel’s far-right Netanyahu government and Hamas’ extreme rhetoric are mutually self-defeating. Israel’s murderous campaign will not only not “defeat Hamas”, it will prove counterproductive, as a fresh generation of young Palestinians will be provoked to seek revenge and then inevitably recruited for that purpose. We must work for peace. There’s no military resolution.
You ask what I’m doing: I have signed Early Day Motion 221, which calls for an end to Israel’s illegal occupation of Palestine and sanctions on those who maintain it, and I attach a selection of posts and recent statements to the Commons. I hope these will help:
Gaza statements on social media