Israel recognised by the PLO

As we come up to Hannukah on Saturday, I think that it is fitting that we should remember that 21 years ago today, Chairman Yasser Arafat, then leader of the PLO, recognised the right of Israel to exist.

Yet, yesterday there was a story about a series of cases over the past two years in which patients from Gaza referred for hospital treatment in Israel have been held without charge and pressed to become Israeli collaborators.

This is a clear violation of human rights and the Israeli authorities must take steps to cease such abuses of power.

Bibi boobs

First the good news, Israeli PM Binyamin (Bibi) Netanyahu has said that he can visualise a Palestinian state, this is a first by an Israeli leader, EVER. Hooray!

Now the bad news, only if it has no army or control of its airspace.

Furthermore, he supports continual development of settlements in occupied West Bank.

So one step forward and two steps back.

We Lib Dems support Nick Clegg's call to and end to arming Israel.

We have long supported the Two-State Solution, namely for Israel to revert to its "internationally recognised" pre-1967 borders.

This may be unwelcome to some, but we have Israel's long-term interest at heart, as well as wanting justice for the Palestinian people.