Here is a copy of an email I have sent to local residents this afternoon, about the situation in Gaza. please do get in touch if you are a local resident and want to discuss this further. 

The conflict and subsequent humanitarian crisis in Gaza has left over 400,000 civilians struggling to find food, water, or shelter.

That’s why the UK government has been one of the largest humanitarian aid donors to date. The Department for International Development – where I am a minister – has provided:

• £6m for basics (shelter and cooking equipment)
• £3m for healthcare
• £3m for the Rapid Response Facility
• £2m to the Disasters Emergency Committee

We have also released a further £3m for emergency food, helping around 300,000 people in serious need. This brings the total supplied by the UK to £17 million. We will remain at the forefront of the relief effort for civilians.

In terms of the conflict itself –the urgent priority of the Lib Dems in government is to help stop the bloodshed with an unconditional and immediate ceasefire and work towards a long-term sustainable peace.

Many local residents have already contacted me to express their views on the conflict. There is an understandable strength of feeling about the situation, which is causing so many people so much misery and hurt.

I take all views seriously – so if you wish to contact me about this, or any other matter, please do. I will respond and pass on any opinions to the Foreign and Defence secretaries.

P.S. You can find out further information about the work of the Department for International Development – in Gaza and other areas – here.

Guest speaker yesterday at Daphna Wizo – a branch of the hugely important Wizo – the modern Jewish women’s organisation that supports Israel. Hosted by Stephanie and Simon Kester in Highpoint (a block of flats in Highgate) – where I grew up! It was hugely well attended – I suspect more for the lovely buffet luncheon than coming to hear me – but it was a real pleasure and honour to be invited.

After greetings and luncheon I was there to speak about the Liberal Democrat policy on Israel and Palestine. For those who know me of old – they will know I stick firm to the belief that the only way is forward, taking sides is pointless and counter-productive, and blaming each side for sins and wrongs gets us nowhere. My experience is that both pro-Palestinians and pro-Israelis can get cross with me!

That having been said – I am very pleased to go into even the most pro-Israel or pro-Palesinian gathering and make the case for moving forward – not looking backwards. As part of the solution – my belief (and Liberal Democrat policy) is that we need to add the Arab League to the Quartet table (i.e. make it a Quintet)- as we believe that any solution has to be strategically safeguarded and facilitated by a regional and super-power body – leaving Israel and Palestine to negotiate between them as to who moves on what on the key issues of settlements, Jerusalem, right of return and all the very, very difficult issues involved in the Middle East.

Too long to go into here – but it is a reasoned way forward that puts the players together to take it forward.

Not sure that everyone totally agreed with me. There were clearly a few who thought that inviting the Arab League to the table was not the way to move forward and clearly some concern about whether the politics in America were going to change. Given Obama and McCain have both pledged allegiance to Israel – I doubt whether America is likely to change. Of course, the Liberal Democrat proposals take the lead away from America – as we see it as part of the problem rather than the solution. It needs neutral leadership and representatives of the two nations at the table along with funders like the EU.

If no one ever changes their position on the Israeli or the Palestinian side – particularly no negotiation before recognition – then nothing will change. That is why the Liberal Democrat proposals give a framework which allows both sides to move without losing face on that stand-off which has long stood in the way of peace in the Middle East.

As I was leaving, one of the women came up to me and said – thank you for such a well-balanced approach and ‘I’m totally with you’. So – clearly audience weren’t all sceptical!

After their escapades in Iraq, George W Bush and Tony Blair don’t make the most likely duo to bring peace to the Middle East. But as they say – truth is stranger than fiction, so who knows what they will achieve!

It’ll be interesting to see just how much power Bush and American can really wield in the Middle East – because it is Bush’s desire for a peace deal by the end of the year, and consequential political legacy for him as he leaves office, that is driving this latest attempt.

There’s been no big change in office in the key countries in the Middle East, nor a major change in policy by any of the players there, nor even some cunning new plan to save age old problems.

Rather this new peace attempt is really all being driven by Bush deciding he wants to give it a go – which means, hopefully, we will see just how much influence the US can exert when it really wants to.

And whilst I certainly don’t always wish President Bush and his attempts to wield power around the globe luck – let’s hope this time US power is truly mighty and opens up the door to peace where so many other attempts have failed.

International Development Questions – so I thought I asked an interesting question of our new Secretary of State. Sadly, it got a competent answer but not an interesting one. This is the exchange:

Lynne Featherstone (Hornsey and Wood Green) (LD): I welcome the Secretary of State to his role and wish him well. The stringent restrictions of movement that are imposed on the Palestinians continue to exacerbate the humanitarian position. They undermine all the aid and humanitarian work that is going on. What will the Secretary of State do to persuade Israel to remove those restrictions?

Mr. Alexander: When my right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary last addressed the House, he made clear the three principles whereby we will move our work forward on the matter in the months ahead. He said that first, we would be unyielding in our support for finding a two-state solution; secondly, we should express a genuine willingness to work with all those who would renounce violence as a way forward; and thirdly, we need to continue to address the immediate humanitarian challenge while recognising the social and economic development needs of the Palestinians. It is right to place on record the fact that restraints on movement and access are a severe constraint on the capacity of the Palestinian economy to grow.

Although, of course, it is necessary to provide humanitarian assistance with immediate effect, there is no substitute in the longer term for a sustainable, developed Palestinian economy. For that to happen, we need the restrictions on movement and access to be removed.

I had been hoping for more. Because the simple mantra of a two-state solution etc (albeit I agree with it) doesn’t really answer the question I asked.

You see, right now when the Palestinians are having a hideous time in terms of movement, poverty, etc – I don’t think that the most constructive approach is to simply condemn Israel (albeit the wall position and the ongoing settlements are wrong) – but I want to find out what Israel wants, needs or could be persuaded by to remove those restrictions. Let’s try and see what Israel needs and what process would be acceptable. If there is nothing that will ever persuade Israel to lift restrictions through negotiation and agreement – then we would know where we are and can work out perhaps what next steps say the EU might need to take. (They are the biggest aid donor to Palestine and biggest trading partner of Israel). I have always felt that there is a way through this – and the people of both countries desperately need the international community to find this way through and hold both safe on that journey.

Israel? Poverty? The US? The answer I actually got when visiting Kalandia School on the West Bank rather suprised me … and you can read about it in my latest column.

Finishing off my thoughts from my visit – cut short by the Trident vote – to the Middle East – it was pretty clear that the Road Map was now becoming a virtually impossible route to follow.

The good news, I guess, was that all the parties we met in Israel were now in favour of the two-state solution – as apparently are around 70% of the population. Ten years ago that wasn’t the case – so that’s progress.

How to get there without the Road Map? Well, there were a couple of theses around. There was one idea which was for a trusteeship for the area to be held by the EU – much like in Bosnia, the EU could provide a political incubator to Palestine preparing it for full independence. That theory being based on the need for a central authority in Palestine that would make it possible for Israel to withdraw without prejudice to its security and that Europe would be far better a trustee than America.

Then there was the Geneva Accord. Without going into long explanations – a group of Israeli and Palestinian politicians agreed a set of aims, principles and methodology for moving forward to a two-state solution. Not given huge credit at the time – now perhaps back in play as another possibility. The Accord: reaffirms the determination of both sides to put an end to decades of confrontation and conflict, and to live in peaceful coexistence, mutual dignity and security based on a just, lasting, and comprehensive peace and achieving historic reconciliation; recognizes that peace requires the transition from the logic of war and confrontation to the logic of peace and cooperation, and that acts and words characteristic of the state of war are neither appropriate nor acceptable in the era of peace; affirms their deep belief that the logic of peace requires compromise, and that the only viable solution is a two-state solution based on United National Security Council Resolution 242 and 338.

The problem with moving forward on the two-state solution (amongst others) is the seemingly relentless increase in settlements in and around Jerusalem and the West Bank on the ‘Israeli’ side of the wall. The Palestinian areas are now to an extent isolated and to be connected by a different road system. Palestinians now worry that they would end up with no viable state. So, whilst Israelis seem to be shifting to a two-state position (at least verbally) the Palestinians seemed less convinced. Whilst they verbally often referred to a two-state solution, there were also voices raised to say that this would never be viable and therefore they should be going for a one-state solution. I don’t believe that would or could ever happen – but the continual building on the Israeli side of the wall removes their ability to believe that they will ever get a viable state.

And then there are the residual views – polarised on each side. If we talked about the wall (or fence for most its length) – the Israelis say since its erection suicide bombings have virtually stopped. The Palestinians say that the suicide bombings have stopped because Hamas declared a ceasefire – and that it would be simple to tunnel under the wall or fence – i.e. the fence is no defence.

The Israeli who took us out to the fence near Qalkila (right wing by his own admission and a settler moved from Gaza when Israel unilaterally left) explained the positioning of the barrier. For most of us (including me) it is hard to argue against Israel defending itself from suicide bombers by erecting a barrier. The argument is why they did so on what was Palestinian side of the Green Line. Palestinians regard this as a land grab. Israel says it is for security.

Whilst I can see that it might not be the best line to follow and there should and could be variance to the Green Line – it isn’t right at the moment. I don’t see why you can’t have an independent United Nations special judge and court and experts to adjudicate on the line that would be respected by both sides as a judgement. Security for Israel and as near to the ’67 borders as the Court judged viable.

As for the retention of taxes (and to my surprise I found out that the Palestinian Authority wanted the Israelis to collect the tax – although not obviously hold on to it) but that they did not want it put through the Temporary International Mechanism. Their argument was that when it was released it was needed to pay the debts on wages etc and therefore if it was put through the TIM it would not be there to pay those debts. Many different tales of money coming into the PA in suitcases and used for nefarious purposes. Meanwhile, as I said before, it is the ordinary people who are suffering most.

And lastly – the Quartet Principles. These say basically that the world won’t deal with the elected government as long as it is Hamas – unless they recognise Israel, renounce violence and agree to previous peace deals. This is a high bar – but perhaps with the coming of a unity government they will under the radar work out a triple-lock process where by the end of x period, a number of significant steps will have been taken that will allow the Quartet Principles to be agreed to – so that then publicly the process can move forward.

So – whilst I have only skimmed the surface of what I heard and saw – I hope that gives a flavour of my three days in the Middle East.

Busy week so only just catching up on blog now – first there was a visit to the Middle East and then it was the Trident vote. So here goes with my retro-blog, part one…

I am not going to do a blow by blow account of my two days in Israel and one day in the West Bank. So instead here is an over-arching view of the impressions and information gleaned from the trip.

I was travelling with my Liberal Democrat colleague, Michael Moore, Shadow Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs. We were going under our own party’s steam as we wanted to avoid any possibility of pressure from either side.

We had briefing after briefing after briefing – from military intelligence, to politicians, to journalists. On both sides, almost everyone we met had a different view of the situation.

What is virtually indescribable is the intensity with which each person we met gave us their briefing – as if a desperate plea for us to see it from their perspective. And the emotional intensity of such onslaughts was draining as for those three days I was caught up in the Middle East’s cauldron of troubles.

I learned a huge amount. This is my first trip as International Development spokesperson, and whilst I will constrain my travel to those areas where I believe it is important to visit personally – it was clear to me on this trip that for situations like this one, there is very little to compare with seeing for yourself and hearing for yourself – from both sides.

My key request for the trip had been to add in a visit to a school to see what aid was doing in terms of education in conflict zones – which I have made my priority for campaigning for the Lib Dems. Save the Children therefore arranged for me to visit the Kalandia School which serves the Kalandia Refugee Camp in Ramallah. They had arranged one of a series of workshops being carried out with a local partner – Pyalara (Palestinian Youth Association for Leadership and Rights Activation).

The class I met was a group of around thirty 15 year old girls. The idea was to empower young people to get their voices and issues heard. Two women from Pyalara were trying to get the girls to understand how to use the media to raise their voices about their problems. In an earlier workshop they had identified their biggest problem as early marriage. It stopped their opportunities and their futures – but culturally it was very difficult to speak up on the issue. Three of the girls in the class were married already. The workshop went through how to identify the key story, how to raise it in the media and how to campaign to get the issues around early marriage into the media etc.

It was such an eye opener in terms of how bad things can be, how much needs doing and how vital work is being done through aid agencies to build the capacity for the future.

More to follow soon … but in the meantime you can see some photos from the trip on my Flickr account.