Week 13 – Two state solution
This week marks one year since the horrendous attack by Hamas, killing 1,000 people and taking 250 people hostage.
In that year we have seen events go from bad to worse, with over 40,000 people losing their lives in Gaza, and now thousands more in Lebanon.
Whilst I understand the hurt and desire to hit back, the resulting escalations leave us at the edge of a precipice that leads to more disaster. I don’t know of any occasion where escalating violence ends up in a lasting peace – peace is only ever achieved by discussion and agreement.
I remember the Irish troubles in the seventies, and the hurt and horror of bombs in English towns and cities. The courageous and bold step was to start peace negotiations, not introducing harsher punishment schemes. The transformation that has happened after the Irish peace process has been astounding and peaceful. It doesn’t erase the hurt of the past, but it has stopped increasing that pain.
I cannot imagine how it must feel for parents of the youngsters at the music festival on October 7th 2023 learning that their children would never come home, or had been taken as hostages. But I do know that the ongoing death of innocent civilians in Gaza and Beirut won’t bring those youngsters back.
In Parliament I am proud to stand for an immediate bilateral ceasefire, humanitarian aid, release of the hostages, and a peace process to achieve a two-state solution, in which Hamas can play no part.
Underpinning all of the debates, Parliamentary motions and diplomatic approaches, has been the knowledge that escalation could lead to an all-out war in the region. In the past few weeks that fear has become an ever more real possibility, as Iran’s stated desire to be rid of Israel has moved from a campaign carried out by proxies to direct engagement.
But one thing has become very much clearer. The world can no longer fail to take responsibility, and allow the Palestinian people to be used as pawns in the political chess game that is the Middle East.
In these latest developments, it seems that their plight has been marginalised and almost relegated to the justification for conflict. Israel has the right under international law to defend itself. The people of Israel have the right to live in peace and security without the constant fear of terrorist violence. So too do the Palestinian people.
The 1917 Balfour Declaration laid out the case for the establishment of the state of Israel and also recognised the need to protect the Palestinians’ right to a homeland. If ever there was a time when the need to fulfil that promise was laid bare, it is now.
Progress must come out of this horror for the sake of all the people of Israel and Palestine. We need a solution, a two-state solution, and we need it now.