"Two states. Two peoples. Side by side. Living in peace."

The past 9 months have been some of the hardest of my professional career.

I will never forget the morning of October 7th. Waking up to those horrific reports of the most heinous violence. 1,200 souls, many of whom themselves fought for peace, killed in the most disgusting and degrading ways by Hamas.

I can only imagine the horror of that day and the horror still facing those waiting for news of their missing family members. There is no justification.

And nor is there justification of the horrors faced by millions of innocent Palestinian civilians who have lost their lives, been displaced from their homes, and endured famine and disease.

The scenes emerging from Rafah in recent weeks have been utterly horrifying. That Netanyahu described it as a “tragic mishap” minimises the obscene human cost of an operation that should never have happened.

In recent months, the narrative of “pick a side” has been dominant. Either you stand with the hostages and against Hamas, or you stand with Palestinians and against Netanyahu’s corrupt Government.

The Liberal Democrats and I reject this false dichotomy. This is time to dig deep into our compassion and humanity and if we are forced to pick a side, then we pick the side of peace.

Earlier this year I visited Israel and Palestine with a cross-party delegation of MPs. On the first day, we went down to the southern border with Gaza, to a place called Nativ Ha’asara. 

We met an incredible Israeli peace activist called Roni who had lost family members on the 7th October — 16 people from that kibbutzim had perished. 

Standing in one devastated community, I looked across at another, northern Gaza. I saw the plumes of smoke, I heard the drones and the “pop pop pop” of the gunfire, and I broke down. As I walked back through the village Roni took me to one side, gave me a hug and said, “I’m so sorry”. I said “I’m sorry too”. We both cried and held each other.

The loss of life, the humanitarian catastrophe, and the risk of regional escalation have gone on for far too long.

The Liberal Democrats have been calling for an immediate bilateral ceasefire since November 2023. We are clear that this is the only way to end the killing, to restore the flow of desperately needed humanitarian aid, and to get the hostages back to their loved ones.

But a ceasefire cannot just be a temporary pause in the fighting, because to press pause implies pressing play. 

We need a ceasefire to open up space for political negotiations aimed at ultimately delivering that political solution: Hamas out of Gaza, two-states and a lasting peace. It will require pressure from the international community and from the UN.

Peace is going to take grit, creativity, and compromise. But the end product will be worth it.

As we work towards an enduring peace in the region, it is essential to look at the biggest blocks. And there is no doubt that the illegal Israeli settlements in the West Bank are a significant barrier. 

The settlements are illegal under international law, undermine the viability of a two-state solution, and exacerbate tension.

The Liberal Democrats called for British trade with the illegal Israeli settlements to cease back in 2021. We’ve also called for the individual violent settlers who breach international law to be sanctioned. The Conservative government took some small steps, sanctioning some individual settlers, but there is so much further to go.

We have called for sanctions to include extremist Ministers Ben Gvir and Smotrich, as well as those connected entities who provide support or enable these extremist individuals. In practice, that means looking at the lawyers, the accountants, the businesses, the construction companies.

The UK has an incredibly important role to play in upholding the rule of international law on the world stage. I have been sorely disappointed that the government has sought instead to undermine both the ICJ and the ICC in their investigations. We must uphold the rights of these international courts to bring those responsible for appalling breaches of international law to justice, without fear or favour.

And we must ensure that we have our own house in order, and are not complicit in breaches of international law. 

Since 2015 the Lib Dems have called for a policy of presumption of denial for arms exports to governments listed as Human Rights Priority Countries in the FCDO’s annual Human Rights and Democracy report. It is unacceptable that any British made weapons could be used against a civilian population anywhere in the world.

It has been widely reported that the UK Government has received legal advice that Israel’s actions in Gaza are not compliant with international humanitarian law. I have urged the Conservative government to publish any advice they have received for months but Ministers have consistently failed to do so, leaving the public in the dark.

If the Conservative Government received legal advice stating that Israel is not compliant with international humanitarian law, but Ministers are continuing to authorise arms exports, it raises a question about whether this would make the UK Government complicit in such breaches of international law. I referred Kemi Badenoch and David Cameron to the Ethics Adviser, urging them to open an investigation. Sadly they refused.

The most important step the UK could take to advance the cause of peace is to immediately recognise the state of Palestine, based on 1967 borders.

We have a historical wrong to right here.

So we must follow suit behind our allies like Ireland, Norway and Spain and recognise Palestine as an independent state. While recognition is not a panacea, it sends a powerful message that we stand by the Palestinian people and that we will do everything we can to help safeguard both the state of Israel, and the state of Palestine.

Two states. Two peoples. Side by side. Living in peace.

That is the future the Liberal Democrats believe in, and the future we will continue to fight for.

Layla Moran is the Liberal Democrat Foreign Affairs Spokesperson

Image credit: Number 10 Downing Street – Creative Commons

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