With the recent conclusion of one of the most violent cycles of Israeli-Palestinian conflict in history, the largest since 1973, it is imperative that we redouble our efforts towards achieving peace. The atrocities and massive loss of life we saw on October 7th and beyond cannot happen again – innocent civilians must be allowed to live their lives without fear.
It is for this reason that I called last week’s Westminster Hall debate. The news is packed with talk of reconstruction plans and government summits, but I believe that our national political dialogue has largely overlooked a vital pathway to peace: namely, the involvement of Israeli and Palestinian civil society.
The International Fund for Israeli-Palestinian Peace is at its core an initiative designed to give agency to the overlooked grassroots communities of Israel-Palestine. It plans to mobilise international investment in regional peacebuilding projects, and in doing so will tackle unaddressed drivers of this terrible conflict. That is why this government’s commitment to the fund to date has been so groundbreaking, and why its continued support will be crucial.
How this is accomplished invites much discussion, particularly considering our Government’s necessary and timely commitment to increasing defence spending to 2.5% of GDP. In the era of more limited resources being available for Overseas Aid, we need to be especially sure that the budget we do have is going towards projects that are value-for-money in achieving security abroad, because security abroad ultimately means safety at home.
One great advantage of the fund is the opportunity it presents for British leadership. The prime minister has recently shown what Britain can look like as a leading force for good on the international stage. Seizing the initiative on civil society reconciliation in Israel-Palestine by championing the fund would be yet another demonstration of this power – in a notably resource-efficient way. We need to have the courage to act, and to keep the momentum of recent changes in the region going. As the examples of Syria and Lebanon show, political transitions can occur suddenly and unexpectedly, but the people and values of nations will remain.
Currently, however, these people and nations are suffering unimaginable pain and trauma. Innocent Palestinians have suffered the catastrophic loss of their loved ones, homes, and livelihoods, and continue to be suppressed under Hamas’ brutal regime. In Israel, meanwhile, images of the Hostages are burned into the national consciousness, and the scars of October 7th will be felt for generations.
Reconciliation will therefore take a long time, but history tells us that it is the only route to a lasting peace. In the 1980s and 1990s, Northern Ireland and Israel-Palestine were both global symbols of intercommunal violence. Today, they both look very different to one another. The enduring relief the Good Friday Agreement brought to the people of Northern Ireland has sadly not been shared by Israelis and Palestinians. While negotiations over Israel-Palestine often stayed at the level of presidents and prime ministers, the International Fund for Ireland gave as many people as possible a seat at the table. As current National Security Advisor Jonathan Powell has said, the International Fund may well have been “the great unsung hero of the peace process”. We therefore have in recent memory proof that civil society reconciliation backed by an International Fund can succeed where high-level talks have failed before.
In my opinion, Labour’s long history of peace-making means no-one is more fit for this task than the current Government. Equally, I am eager that we build a consensus across the House, and was pleased to hear so many Members’ thoughtful contributions. Democracy is one of the strongest tools we have in the quest for peace – not just in ensuring our Government does its part, but also in giving disenfranchised people a say in their future. But democracy will not be built and maintained unless there is a strong coalition of ordinary people and communities to safeguard it.
Peacebuilding is not just about summits and large state initiatives, it is about the day-to-day work of people on the ground, who are doing their absolute utmost to set the preconditions for ending hostilities. For this reason, I would like to extend an especial thanks to the Alliance for Middle East Peace, the coalition of some 160 Israeli and Palestinian organisations who are the main advocates for this new proposed Fund.
We know this government has taken a long-term view towards achieving peace in the Middle East. We have seen momentum build behind the Fund among G7 countries, and now is the time to lay the foundations for its eventual success.
The UK has the opportunity to take action and provide leadership. The foreign secretary has agreed to meet with MPs regarding the Fund, and I look forward to us collectively building on the commitments that have been made to date.
Britain must lead on civil society reconciliation in Israel-Palestine by championing a peace fund to empower ordinary people
