The Middle East: My thoughts on the conflict
I visited Israel and Palestine because I wanted to understand more about the conflict. I wanted to push for peace, and I wanted to see how both myself and the UK can help to achieve this.
Gaza
I saw the devastation of Gaza for myself. It’s unimaginable – every building razed to the ground – as far as the eye could see.
It was plain that a significant amount of international aid would be needed to sustain any form of human dignity there. Sadly, I learnt that Israel had been revoking visas for aid workers as a tactic to prevent this aid from reaching Gaza.
I spoke with aid workers who were making escape plans for the end of the ceasefire – they feared being caught in the violence.
Israel has also placed restrictions on the size of aid delivery pallets by introducing a 1.6m limit. It was previously 1.7m, the size used by the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East - or UNRWA. This is a blatant attempt to ban the organisation from Gaza.
Israel
Whilst I was in Israel, I visited the Nova festival site – the location of some of the deadliest attacks carried out by Hamas on October 7th, 2023.
364 were killed at Nova alone. It was clear that Israel was a nation in mourning. There were flags and posters of the hostages along almost every highway, at airports and other key locations.
I met with families of hostages and survivors of the attacks. Many escaped by running, hiding, fighting, or seeking refuge in safe rooms – a common feature in many homes. Across the streets of southern Israel, there are bomb shelters.
Roni Keidar, who I met in Nativ Ha’asra, has lived in the Gaza border most of her life and survived October 7th. She said that either the Israeli and Palestinian people find a way to live together, or they will die together in the land between the river and the sea.
I spoke to someone who lost their father on October 7th. They expressed a desire for revenge, but they also explained that revenge isn’t a valid strategy for a country and that it doesn’t lead to sensible solutions.
I met the brother of Nimrod Conan, who was captured by Hamas on October 7th at the age of 19. He and his family learned of it through social media before the Israel Defence Forces (IDF) informed them. They’ve been told he’s alive but, because of his age, he is among the final group of people set to be released.
A horrifying article was recently published graphically detailing the appalling conditions and treatment Nimrod has been subjected too during his ongoing captivity.
Freed hostages have described Nimrod as being held in a small cage for months, subjected to brutal interrogations and torture, and denied medical treatment for severe skin and ear infections.
Despite the brutality, Nimrod has managed to send a defiant message to his family through the freed hostages: "I am okay. Don't worry, I love you." You can read the full article describing Nimrod’s captivity here.
His father supported the International Criminal Court’s criticisms of Benjamin Netanyahu and the Israeli Government. The family feels that Israel doesn’t truly care about the hostages.
The vast majority of the Israeli public want a hostage deal and see this as a priority. It’s clear that the Israeli government’s actions are happening despite the public consensus on what the government’s priorities should be. Israeli Minister Orit Struk recently stated that ‘winning the war is more important than returning all hostages.’
Israeli people also shared concerns about how their government is undermining human rights, such as a new bill which has been introduced to impose an 80% tax on foreign aid.
This bill proposes that any donation received by an association from a foreign state entity will be subject to an 80% tax - and the courts will not consider any petition filed by an association primarily funded by a foreign state entity unless it is also state funded.
The implication of this, should it pass, is that the Israeli human rights community will effectively be shut down as it receives most of its funding from foreign state entities.
Right wing settler organisations receive international money from private donors.
It also means that human rights organisations will not be able to use the courts to hold the government to account. This is one of the last remaining checks and balances on the Israeli government and will significantly reduce protection for Palestinians.
Palestine
In the West Bank, I met with the Palestinian Prime Minister Mohammed Mustafa who emphasised the need for the UK to recognise the Palestinian state, as the Lib Dems and I are calling for. The Palestinian Authority sit in stark contrast to Hamas in Gaza, the former are the moderate alternative to the latter.
The situation for Palestinians is dire. The Israeli government has imposed severe restrictions and harsh policies. Palestinian prisoners are subject to minimal calorie counts, just enough to survive.
I met Arab Barghourti, son of Marwan Barghouti, an Israeli prisoner. Despite Marwan being regarded as the leader of the Intifadas (Palestinian uprisings in Gaza and the West Bank that aimed to end Israel’s occupation of the territories and create an independent Palestinian state), he might be released and is seen as someone who can unite the Palestinian people.
Many Palestinians feel the fate of their political leaders is limited to either being arrested, corrupted, or killed. This grim reality is compounded by concerns about cuts to US aid under the Trump administration.
Over 40,000 Palestinians have been displaced from their homes in the West Bank as Israel has escalated its clampdown on the region. Many live as second-class citizens at best.
Israelis demolish over 1,000 Palestinian properties annually and 95% of building permits are rejected.
I visited Hebron, the second largest city in the West Bank, where an Israeli settlement has forcibly displaced Palestinians from what was once a thriving area. These 800 settlers are guarded by at least 650 soldiers in addition to police personnel stationed in the city.
I also went to the Palestinian village of Susya in the south Hebron hills, which has been repeatedly targeted and destroyed. With settlers often also being reservists, the IDF is unable or unwilling to stop this.
Whilst inspecting the burnt out and ruined houses, and a school - which British aid spending had helped paid for - two young Israeli settlers with machine guns came up to us. They were there to threaten and intimidate us, so we could see as little of what they and their colleagues had done as possible.
The West Bank is divided into three zones under the Oslo Accords. Between these zones, movement restrictions are in place for both Israeli settlers and Palestinians.
These restrictions are worsening. As a British citizen, I could move freely, but roadblocks and police checks make daily life unbearable for Palestinians.
Even the emergency services cannot cross the borders between zones. This has created a situation where you have ambulances waiting on either side of the borders to transfer patients to emergency facilities.
Israel's land grab strategy is clear – taking the land but not the people.
Palestinian people shared with me their belief that they have been abandoned, forgotten and ignored by everyone for years - whether that be their local leadership, the region and the wider world.
In both Gaza and West Bank, elections haven’t been held in years. The Prime Minister told me about the fundamental lack of democracy faced by the Palestinian people. If you're 35 or younger, you have never voted in an election. Their voices are largely silenced. He was, however, resolute. He told me that: “Being hopeful is not an option. We don’t give up hope.”
In conclusion
Having seen what is happening in Israel and Palestine for myself, I know my party is both on the right side of the argument and history on this heartbreaking conflict. We condemn Hamas and their appalling attacks on 7th October, but also condemn the Israeli Government’s actions in Palestine - especially Gaza - which according to the international courts could be found to be genocide.
We urgently need an immediate bilateral ceasefire to put a stop to the humanitarian devastation in Gaza, get the hostages home and open the door to a two-state solution. I am proud to say that the Lib Dems were the first party to begin calling for this.
We have long said the British Government should not sell arms to countries with human rights concerns. That clearly includes Israel. We support the introduction of a ‘presumption of denial’ for all governments listed as ‘human rights priorities’ in the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office’s Human Rights and Democracy report. That’s why I have signed Early Day Motion 208 which urges the Government to halt arms exports to Israel.
The Lib Dems have also called for the immediate recognition of Palestine, which will move us along the road to a two-state solution. My friend and colleague, Layla Moran, has been a doughty campaigner on this issue. As recently as late 2024, Layla proposed a bill calling for the immediate recognition of the state of Palestine on the 1967 borders.
The previous Conservative Government denigrated the International Criminal Court and undermined the UK’s standing on the world stage. It is vital that the new Government complies with our obligations under international law by committing to uphold this ruling, including enforcing arrest warrants. The court has now begun to issue arrest warrants for those it believes are culpable and the UK has obligations under international law, which we must uphold.
What I saw and witnessed for myself is that Israeli settlement expansion in the Occupied Palestinian Territories is one of the biggest barriers to peace. These settlements are illegal under international law, exacerbate tension, and undermine the viability of a two-state solution.
The Lib Dems have previously called for our Government to sanction far-right Israeli ministers, and leaders of the extremist settler movement, Ben-Gvir and Smotrich. I remember Ed Davey asked the Prime Minister about sanctioning Ministers Smotrich and Ben Gvir at PMQs in October last year.
We as a party and a country must go much further: we need a complete embargo on the illegal Israeli settlements. If any company or individual trades with them, they should lose the ability to trade with the UK - including with the all-important City of London.
From what I have heard, that is the best way for us to use our influence to effect real change. That’s why I have signed Early Day Motion 208 which urges the UK Government to cease trade with the illegal settlements in the Occupied Palestinian Territories.
Trump’s proposal for Gaza is bizarre but also dangerous, sadly the President’s approach is more like a bull in a china shop. He’s showing casual disregard for the rights and aspirations of Palestinians, who have suffered for so long. The UK must make clear that Trump’s proposals are both wrong and flying in the face of international law.
Despite what the most powerful person in the world is doing, and what I’ve seen, there is hope. Arab countries and European nations are working together to push for peace - and I believe the solution is via regional security. Very few Israelis support a two-state solution now according to opinion polls, but they overwhelmingly want regional security - and would back a two-state solution alongside regional security.
So many Israelis and Palestinians are working together for peace. I met former IDF soldiers in Breaking the Silence who are calling for accountability, human rights and a two-state solution, showing that change is possible from within.
Palestinian rights and Israeli security are not contrary to each other. In fact, one is not possible without the other. If a country or individual is committed to Israel’s security, it should be doing all it can to protect Palestinian rights.
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