POLITICS ED BALLS
IT HAS been a difficult and depressing few months for those of us who believe in a two-state solution: the terrible loss of life in the summer on both sides has been followed by a series of terrorist attacks on civilians in Jerusalem, including the horrendous attack on a synagogue this week in which four rabbis and a policeman were tragically killed, including the UK citizen Rabbi Avraham Goldberg.
While the stalled peace process leads many to despair and disengagement, we must not give up and allow those that wish to spread terror and violence to succeed. Some wrongly believe that the only way peace can be secured is through a campaign for boycotts, disinvestment and sanctions, but as Ed Miliband, Douglas Alexander and I have said many times before, we do not support this approach, it is wrongheaded and counterproductive and would only serve to widen division. We must strengthen not weaken our economic, trade union, intellectual and cultural ties.
A lasting peace, however, needs to be underpinned by a strong civil society and a strong Israeli and Palestinian economy. It is this which will provide both peoples with an important stake in defending peace against those extremists who will inevitably seek to destabilise it. This is the foundations upon which a sustainable peace will be built.
Two years ago, I launched the Labour UK-Israel Economic Dialogue at the Labour Friends of Israel Annual lunch. That ongoing dialogue aims to strengthen our vital bilateral relationship. And last year I was pleased to see for myself the growth and entrepreneurialism in Israel and was encouraged by the strengthening partnerships between Israeli and Palestinian businesses. I met Palestinian businessmen building the new city of Rawabi, near Ramallah, the largest private sector project in Palestinian history, reliant on both international investment and Israeli expertise in cutting-edge design and construction. This is a model for the kind of economic ties between the international community, Israel and the Palestinians which we need to encourage.
To achieve strong economies in Israel and the Palestinian ter-