I have just returned from Jordan, Israel, and the West Bank, where I went with the International Development Select Committee (IDC), a cross-party group of MPs, writes the MP for Aylesbury Laura Kyrke-Smith. We wanted to see and hear about it first hand and we will feed back our findings to colleagues in Westminster.   

I know that the situation in the Middle East is really worrying, saddening, and frustrating for people in Aylesbury and the villages. Hundreds of people write to me about it and raise it when I knock on their doors. Most are writing in horror about what’s happening in Gaza. But I also hear from Jewish constituents who fear for family and friends in Israel. And I hear from people of both Jewish and Muslim faiths who are experiencing rising antisemitism and Islamophobia here as a result.  

On my visit, I met heads of UN agencies and NGOs working determinedly to get aid into Gaza despite the frequent attacks on aid workers – more than 300 have been killed in the last year – and the routine attacks on the few aid convoys that do make it through Israel’s border checks. I know from my own former colleagues at the International Rescue Committee that Gaza is the toughest operating environment that they’ve encountered in decades of responding to humanitarian crises.  

In East Jerusalem and the West Bank, we saw firsthand the expansion of Israeli settlements and the forced displacement of Palestinian and Bedouin communities. We heard from Palestinians about the violence perpetrated by Israeli settlers; the UN’s Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs documented 1,600 such attacks in the West Bank last year. We heard about tight restrictions on the movement of Palestinians. We spoke to brave Israeli NGOs still working towards peaceful coexistence between Israelis and Palestinians. But many look at the war in Gaza and ask: “Are we next?”.  

I want to share four key reflections from my visit that I will be urging the government to consider. And I believe these are timely as the fact is that we have a narrow window of opportunity to end the fighting in Gaza and stop the continued escalation of conflict across the region. When President-Elect Trump takes office in January, the international politics change and there is a high risk that this window for peace closes.  

First, I heard repeated frustrations about the lack of accountability in this conflict and we will struggle to secure peace without it. I heard numerous accounts of innocent people being killed in Israeli airstrikes, including newborn babies, children and pregnant women – with no-one held to account. I firmly believe that we should be sanctioning Israeli Ministers Ben-Gvir and Smotrich, who have explicitly called for Palestinians to be driven from Gaza, in breach of international law.   

Second, we need to place sanctions on entities that permit the continued building of settlements in East Jerusalem and the West Bank. At least 43 new outposts have been established since 7th October 2023, which is illegal even under domestic Israeli law, let alone international law. Five will now become official settlements. The continuation of this settlement-building undermines the international right of Palestinians to live in their homeland and drives deep fear and restlessness.    

Third, the humanitarian situation in Gaza and particularly North Gaza remains desperate. I’m particularly concerned by Israel’s decision to limit UNRWA’s operations. UNRWA is the UN agency responsible for providing public services to Palestinians – from rubbish collection to schools and hospitals – and it plays a role that no other agency can fill. But we also need humanitarian entry points to Gaza opened up urgently, and protection for aid deliveries within Gaza. 
 
Fourth, the time to recognise the State of Palestine alongside the State of Israel is now. This would send a powerful signal of the values that we stand for and reinforce our commitment to a two-state solution, which remains the only path to a just peace in the region. The UK recognising Palestine may also encourage other European nations to follow suit, building international momentum. 

The murder of innocent Israeli citizens and capture of the hostages on 7th October was horrifying and unacceptable. The remaining hostages must be returned. An immediate, permanent ceasefire is more important than ever. But what I was saddest to hear – from Israelis and Palestinians – is that it also feels more distant than ever. The steps above could help move it back into view.