Gaza is a true test of political leadership

We all know that it is far easier to stand up to the weak than the strong. as Ed Miliband said when he made a personal, honest speech about leadership a few weeks ago. It was telling that he chose to open that speech by talking about Gaza. There are few bigger tests of our political leadership than how we handle the ongoing crisis there. To stand up to the strong and give a voice to those who are almost defenceless.

Ed Miliband showed that leadership when he made it clear that you can support Israel’s right to defend itself, but not condone the killing of thousands of Palestinians. He said the right thing and not the easy thing, even though it was challenging.

David Cameron’s approach could not be more different. The Prime Minister has called the loss of life in the Middle East intolerable. He is right. But by only criticising Hamas and refusing to condemn Israel’s incursions he suggests that some deaths are more tolerable than others. His stance on Gaza is not the kind of leadership British people want, silence in the face of a clear injustice. It is not the kind of leadership the international community needs, if we are to get any closer to a peaceful solution in our lifetimes.

The attacks on innocent people have cut across party divides in Britain. More and more politicians have stood up to voice what most British people believe, that the Israeli incursions are unjustifiable, that however much we condemn Hamas, we cannot stay silent while thousands of Palestinians are killed and their homes reduced to rubble. It has given me hope to see Labour, Conservative and Liberal Democrat MPs united in their concern at the devastation we are witnessing every day. They ask people not to turn away from politics, not to lose faith in political leadership.

As Baroness Warsi made clear in her resignation letter, Britain’s role must be to work tirelessly for international justice, to stand up for the rule of law and human rights. Nowhere is this more important than defending the rights of the children of Gaza. When a child’s rights are threatened anywhere, they are threatened everywhere, and as long as young Palestinians live under occupation, we create the conditions for another generation of conflict. The young people I met when I travelled to Palestine were no different to young people in Britain, despite the desperate hardships they were living with everyday. They were energetic, optimistic and ambitious for themselves and their families. We owe it to them to speak out on their behalf, to work as part of the international community to rebuild a meaningful peace process.

It is hard to move beyond emotion when it comes to the situation in Gaza. Who isn’t saddened by the suffering and senseless loss of life on both sides, angered by the inhumanity and destruction, and horrified by the images on our television screens? It is hard to escape the feeling that politics and our political leaders have failed us again, and another generation of Palestinian and Israeli children must suffer the consequences. The only hope we have of a peaceful solution to this conflict lies in real leadership that is brave and clear sighted. That can take a step back from the tragedy of the last few weeks and try to find a way forward.​