Supporting compromise and peace and opposing hatred

Jenny Tonge’s outrageous comments at Middlesex University last week are just the most recent example of why progressives cannot take support for peace in the Middle East and a two state solution for granted. For wishing away Israel, and for wishing away the right of the Jewish people to national self-determination, Nick Clegg rightly demanded that Jenny Tonge apologise – something that this Baroness will a long record of stoking up hatred on university campuses and beyond clearly felt unable to do, choosing to resign from the party rather than see sense.

As Ed Miliband asserted today, there is “no place in politics for those who question the existence of the state of Israel.” Prior to Tongue’s resignation, Labour Friends of Israel Chair John Woodcock MP added that “Nick Clegg must act after this latest anti-Israel diatribe from Liberal Democrat Baroness Tonge.”

Whilst there are many that, rightly, feel frustrated with a lack of progress towards peace on the ground, Labour has long set out that the only response is to search determinedly for a resolution based on a negotiated two state solution for two peoples; with Israel safe, secure and recognised within its borders; living peacefully alongside a democratic and viable Palestinian state. Ed Miliband’s clear message to Clegg highlights our collective responsibility to join this search.

Speaking to the LFI Annual Lunch in November, Ed Miliband said that that: “Every decision we make will be directed towards the goal of a negotiated solution. Because a negotiated solution is the only solution and we know it can only happen if both sides want it to happen, and we know the challenges are complex.” This is the way ahead. Britain must remain a voice for peace and compromise, not anger and ignorance.

The majority of people in this country, and in Parliament, (and in Israel and the Palestinian territories for that matter) support this, but we should not relax in our determination to bolster support for peace against those that work to undermine the hopes and wishes of those on the ground. Jenny Tonge represents a dangerous minority who want to see the end of Israel – and this minority must be confronted. This campaign to boycott Israel, championed by Tonge and her associates, should be opposed by all those who support peace and who celebrate Israel’s achievements as an open liberal democracy.

Whilst negotiation and compromise will be painful for both Israelis and Palestinians, there is no short-cut to making and agreeing difficult choices, necessary for achieving conflict resolution and to meet the aspirations of both peoples.

Like many Labour members, I would like to see a progressive coalition in power in Israel, negotiating a peaceful two-state solution with the Palestinians. But that doesn’t mean we should forget that there is only one country in the Middle East where our values are lived out every day. Fellow progressives should be proud to promote a vision of peaceful co-existence, and must continue to stand up against those that do not share our hopes for the future.

Ben Garratt is the Head of Policy and Research for Labour Friends of Israel