We asked each Candidate for Deputy Labour Leader to issue a ‘Manifesto for Israel-Palestine’ to give their views on what steps need to be taken to secure peace via a two-state solution.
Candidates were also asked whether they support LFPME's Palestine pledges:
1. Peace: Support a viable peace process between Israelis and Palestinians, based on internationally recognised (1967) borders.
2. Palestinian Statehood: Reaffirm the Labour party’s commitment to the recognition of a safe and viable Palestinian State alongside a safe and viable Israel.
3. Human Rights: Oppose violations of international human rights law, in particular the detention of children and detention of political prisoners without trial.
4. The Wall: Oppose the continued construction of the Separation Wall on Palestinian land, a direct contravention of international law.
5. The Blockade: End the siege on Gaza and ensure the free flow of aid and trade.
6. Illegal Settlements: Call for a complete freeze on illegal settlement growth in order to save any hope for a viable two state solution, and end all trade and investment with illegal Israeli settlements on occupied Palestinian territory.
Responses are listed below.
"The LFPME pledges reaffirm our Party’s commitment to upholding international law and supporting the realisation of peace and justice in the Middle East.
The ongoing cycle of violence, the humanitarian disaster in Gaza, continued illegal settlement expansion and decades of failed peaces processes, but not peace highlight the collective failure of the international community to foster peace and security in this region.
I have served as Middle East Minister in the last Labour Government and visited the region - including Gaza, the West Bank and Israel - on numerous occasions; I believe we need to work more closely with our EU partners and move beyond the rhetoric of peace talks, with a more assertive approach based on upholding international law and UN resolutions, focusing on justice and human rights.
I believe it is not enough to condemn violence, illegal settlements or the intransigence of the Netanyahu government while failing to take to practical measures to challenge them. How can the UK Government advocate the rule of law on the one hand yet oppose Palestinian membership to the UN and ICC on the other? How can we condemn illegal settlements as the biggest obstacle to reaching a two state solution yet allow trade and investment to with these illegal entities to continue? I believe Britain should be a friend, but a critical friend if we genuinely wish to see a secure and viable state of Israel alongside a secure and viable state of Palestine.
If elected as deputy leader of the Labour Party I will continue to fight for Labour values of justice, fairness and equality and that is why I support the LFPME pledges as a way of achieving a meaningful and lasting resolution to this long standing conflict."
"Thank you to LFPME for the opportunity to address, as you rightly put it, an issue of immense importance to Labour Party members.
In October last year, I supported and voted for Parliament's move to recognise Palestine as a significant step in the UK's efforts to underpin a two-state solution. However, we must not confuse progress in our country for progress between the two countries themselves.
Nor should we confuse those countries' leaders with the Israeli and Palestinian people themselves. Throughout my campaign to become Deputy Leader of the Labour Party, I have emphasised the need for us to be a movement - and that must apply as much internationally as at home. The goals you have set out for a two-state solution should be the central goals of our movement: a border based on 1967, unthreatened by barrier and settlement expansion; the universal application of human rights; and an open and free-trading Gaza.
Such a movement, when addressing the Middle East conflict, must encompass our sister parties in Israel and Palestine and the very many excellent NGOs and campaigners who share our values and aims in the region.
As Deputy Leader, I will push for a Labour foreign policy which reflects the need for solidarity with those who condemn and curtail violence, who address illegality, and who ensure that human rights are upheld."
As a party grounded in solidarity, social justice and equality, Labour’s support for the Palestinian people must be unequivocal. I was proud to vote in favour of recognising Palestine during last year’s vote in the House of Commons and I will always stand in solidarity with the Palestinian people in their struggle for a peaceful state with internationally recognised borders.
Our solidarity with Palestine is as important now as ever before; last year’s bloody war in Gaza caused yet more death and destruction, and Prime Minister Netanyahu’s comments in March that he would not allow the creation of a Palestinian state are regressive and worrying.
A peaceful two-state solution is the only viable outcome of the conflict, respecting the right of the Israeli people to live in their own state without fear of attack. As well as supporting Palestinian statehood and the rights of Palestinian citizens, we must also therefore condemn the violent actions of Hamas which undermine the peace process.
Israel’s role as a democracy in the Middle East is especially important in light of growing insecurity in the region and I will always defend Israel’s right to exist and oppose the inflammatory, anti-Semitic behaviour of some of her neighbours. But we should not shy away from condemning the Israeli government where it undermines human rights. Israel has a clear obligation to dismantle its illegal security barrier and to stop constructing new settlements in violation of international law.
I fully support each of LFPME’s six pledges and as Deputy Leader I would fight for the rights of the Palestinian people to be high on Labour’s agenda.
"I know that Labour Friends of Palestine look to the Labour leadership to affirm a commitment to upholding international law and supporting peace and justice in the Middle East. You can depend on me.
I hope that you will support me as Deputy Leader of the party, because I want to keep the quest for a solution high on the agenda. There has been far too much bloodshed and tears. We cannot give up. We must continually press for a two-state solution so that all Palestinians and Israelis can live in peace.
A peaceful Palestine and a secure Israel, respecting their neighbour’s autonomy and borders. Easier said than done, but none of us should give up on striving for a lasting peace.
The issues are complex, but our role is to turn our back on hate and build dialogue and friendships, with Israelis and Palestinians, and between them.
Nobody gains when violence adds to the humiliation of Palestinians and threatens the security of Israelis. The answer to suffering cannot be revenge. We need statesmanship and a motivation of justice.
If elected as Labour’s Deputy Leader it will be the foreign policy I push for. I hope you will be there supporting me too.
I can’t promise any easy answers but I can promise a determination to work on this constantly."
"The question of Israel and Palestine is clearly one of immeasurable importance.
There is not just a need to support efforts towards peace and justice but a duty to see it achieved in our time – with actions and not just words.
The people of Palestine must have access to the justices and freedoms that we in this country have fought hard to secure. The Labour movement has and will always support these rights for all.
My recent participation at the Durham Miners Gala reminded me just how important this party and this movement has been in securing the safety and security that we in this country enjoy today. In 1998 when we passed the Human Rights Act I was filled with what can only be described as a sense of deep pride in the signal that we were sending out to the world.
We must not allow this beacon to be extinguished as this Tory Government wishes to do.
Just as in the Oslo accords the Labour Party must support the right of the Palestinian people to self-determination via a two state solution. There must be a new road map for peace which offers every opportunity for success.
This will take more than just mere rhetoric but action on all sides. It is our duty as part of an international Labour movement, that for well over a century has not stopped fighting for justice, to support such a process.
Just as the fight to maintain our own rights and freedoms in this country is ongoing, so too the fight to secure human rights worldwide continues.
The Labour Party should be at the forefront of calls for these matters to be resolved – and find a means for the two-state solution that is desperately needed with the recognition of Palestinian state alongside a stable and viable Israel.
As the Chair of the All Party Parliamentary Group on Drones I have shown a commitment to international law and the protection of human rights – not just in this country but around the world. With my record on holding the powerful to account I have proved that I will never shy away from the hard questions when they are asked, nor be afraid to act when it is needed.
It is our responsibility to work with our partners to ensure that we can achieve a lasting peace and an end to the cycle of violence that has cost too many lives on all sides.
As Deputy Leader I would continue campaigning for those who need our help to access human rights both here and internationally and I hope that with your support we can work together to play a part in bringing stability and peace to the region."