The conflict lasted from December 27th 2008 to January 18th 2009 and it is estimated that 1,370 or more Palestinians and 13 Israelis died in the conflict.
I wrote to Prime Minister Gordon Brown via my Member of Parliament (Mark Lazarowicz MP, Labour, Edinburgh North and Leith) about the 22 day Israeli assault on Gaza in December/January 2008/2009 and after some 2 months I got a reply from junior minister Bill Rammell. I attach my original letter to Gordon Brown as well as the reply from Rammell.
Bill Rammell asserts that `the UK remains committed to a two-state solution and to achieving a comprehensive peace`. Remarkably little progress has been made since the Madrid conference of 1991, the Oslo accords of 1993, the Camp David summit of 2000, the Taba summit of 2001, the Road Map for peace in 2003, the Sharm el-Sheikh Summit of 2005, the Franco-Italian-Spanish Middle East Peace Plan of 2006 etc, etc. Whither the viable Palestinian State? Will one ever emerge? Or is Israeli author and academic Ilan Pappé right when he asserts that Israel and the United States would never accept a meaningful Palestinian State? What is slowly but surely happening is that whatever is, or was, or might be called Palestine is slowly but surely disappearing all the time.
I believe a one state where all could live in peace and security would be the ideal solution but will it ever happen?
Paul.
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