British Government must do more to stop the violence in Gaza.

2.38.17pm GMT Sun 11th Jan 2009

If any nation in the world knows the value of dialogue in deeply entrenched sectarian conflict it is the UK. The road to peace in Northern Ireland has been long and complicated and we would not be this far down it without the brave decision of previous governments to talk to the IRA/Sinn Fein.

The British Government should be working to persuade the international community to talk to Hamas rather than simply rejecting, out of hand, their election victory in Gaza. We may not like or condone Hamas but refusal to engage with them gave tacit permission to Israel's siege of Gaza which resulted in the end of the ceasefire, the renewal of rocket attacks on Israel and the return to conflict that has already claimed the life of hundreds of innocent Palestinians

Despite their overwhelming military superiority Israel can never win a decisive military victory against Palestinian radicals. The more Israel proves its greater fire-power and ruthlessness the more hatred and bitterness it stores up in the Palestinian population. The only realistic hope of bring an end to the killing on both sides is to achieve a meaningful two-state solution, where both sides can enjoy freedom, security and independence within their own borders.

Israel's right to defend itself from terrorist attack can not be questioned but their roll in pushing Palestinians to desperate acts and the scale of their response can not be swept under the carpet by the international community either.

Gordon Brown should stop blindly following the American foreign policy direction and unambiguously condemn Israel's tactics, just as he has rightly condemned Hamas's rocket attacks. Then he must lead the EU into using its economic and diplomatic leverage in the region to broker peace. The EU is by far Israel's biggest export market, and by far the biggest donor to the Palestinians. It must immediately suspend the proposed new cooperation agreement with Israel until things change in Gaza, and apply tough conditions on any long-term assistance to the Palestinian community.

Brown must also halt Britain's arms exports to Israel, and persuade our EU counterparts to do the same. The government's own figures show Britain is selling more and more weapons to Israel, despite the questions about the country's use of force. In 2007, our government approved £6m of arms exports. In 2008, it licensed sales 12 times as fast: £20m in the first three months alone.

As both sides become more entrenched in the middle east the shadows cast by the conflict reach out across the rest of the world. There is a risk that people will associate the actions of the Israeli military with Judaism and the actions of Hamas with Islam. We must all guard against this short sightedness.

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