Palestine

Baroness Morris of Bolton Excerpts

Thursday 3rd February 2011 Lords Chamber

Lord Wallace of Saltaire: My Lords, none of us should underestimate the seriousness of the current situation in terms of the future of the Middle East peace process. I read in an Israeli newspaper some weeks ago a statement that we have to understand that if the peace process collapses, the war process will start. That is the danger we are now in and it requires active and rapid movement from both sides.

[Baroness Morris of Bolton]

My Lords, I declare an interest as chairman of the Conservative Middle East Council and a trustee of the Disability Partnership, which helps severely disabled children in the West Bank. Does my noble friend agree that, while the talks are going on, the Palestinians are in limbo, without the normal courtesies that we as citizens of this country are able to enjoy? If Israeli citizens—and there are many of them—protest against what is happening in the West Bank, they are treated with courtesy; if the Palestinians protest, they are thrown in prison. What are we doing to monitor some of the more brutal acts of the Israeli army in the West Bank?

[Lord Wallace of Saltaire]

My Lords, there are allegations and, indeed, proven occasions of brutality on both sides. I do not wish to go into that now but will re-emphasise where we are. Given the expansion of settlements, the achievement of an acceptable two-state solution is increasingly difficult. I noted that Ehud Barak, who is still in the Israeli Government, said nearly two years ago that the Israelis want three things—for Israel to be a Jewish state, to be a democracy and to include all the land between the Mediterranean and the River Jordan. The problem is that they have to choose which two of those three they can have, because all three are not possible.