MP: you make peace with your enemies, not your friends
During this week’s debate on the Middle East in the House of Commons, John Baron MP urged the Government to persuade the Israelis to negotiate with Hamas.
John asked the Foreign Office Minister, Alistair Burt MP, this:
“The proverb suggests that ‘To a man with a big hammer, every problem looks like a nail’. Will he impress on the Israelis that Hamas is more than just a terrorist organisation? It is an idea – a frustration – borne out of many disillusioned and disenfranchised Palestinians, and the best way of defeating an idea is not by using force but by coming up with a better idea, such as an equitable two-state solution.”
The Minister replied that Hamas might be an expression of a movement but it was still a terrorist organisation. He agreed however that there must be some movement in the Middle East peace process involving all parties.
Speaking afterwards, John said:
“The Government must do more to persuade the Israelis to negotiate with the Palestinians in Gaza, for Hamas’ grip is being reinforced by Israeli aggression. Force ultimately cannot be the answer. The first step towards peace is often an open hand.”
“I consider myself a friend of Israel but at the end of the day you make peace with your enemies, not your friends. Without dropping her guard, and with the help of the West, Israel must relinquish her siege mentality which has dogged negotiations for far too long.”
“Only by solving the conflict between Israel and Palestine can we move towards an enduring stability in the Middle East. The two state solution, which must guarantee security for both sides, is the best way forward.”
Ends
Date: 15th June 2010
Word Count: 293
Notes to Editors
Dear John Baron
You are quite right about requiring Israel to talk to its enemies, like Hamas. Their precodition is ‘Hamas must recognise Israel’ But surely Israel needs to recognise Palestine which has been there sometime longer and which it has surreptitiously wiped off the map.
Hamas should agree to recognise Israel as a pariah state, bent on eliminating the indigenous Palestinian people by making life so unbearable that they emigrate. And is this a State the UK should espouse?
Yours sincerely
Dr James B Thring