Brian Iddon MP, Cllr Margaret Ali, Dave Anderson MP, David Borrow MP, Robin Marsh, Hanif Adeel and David Hanna

A meeting held in a House of Commons committee room allowed MPs and other participants to speak about their experiences of the August 2007 Middle East Peace Initiative fact-finding visit to Israel and Palestine. The meeting was chaired by Khalid Mahmood MP and Brian Iddon MP. Also in attendance were Lord King and Tom Brake MP as well as several Parliamentary Assistants.

Adeel Hanif I’m an adviser to an All Party Parliamentary Group on Tackling Terrorism. I found this recent Middle East Peace Initiative visit to be very useful because of the opportunity it provided to meet people directly involved with terrorism issues. In order to tackle the issue of terrorism we need to resolve the Israeli Palestinian conflict. It won’t resolve everything but it will have a significant effect on reducing worldwide tension.Hanif Adeel (left), Advisor to the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Tackling Terrorism

David Borrow MP
I am very grateful to the Middle East Peace Initiative for giving me the opportunity to be there and to be involved. I think it is very important to understand the people of both communities, to ask ourselves, “How do they feel?” It’s very important for us to know before getting involved. I am on the Defence Select Committee and this is a point that emerges frequently in our discussions. No matter what we feel in the United Kingdom, it’s important to understand what the locals are thinking. As a politician we are constrained by the feelings of the people we represent.

Dave Anderson MP (second left). The Middle East Peace Initiative did a great job in bringing the right people, the movers and shakers in Israel and Palestine, the people that are concerned and that can make a change. I recommend this visit to Israel and Palestine to any other MP if they can make it. I don’t care what your faith is if you have good will and you’re doing good works I will support it.
I want to say thank you to the Middle East Peace Initiative and again recommend that if you get the chance to go you should take it.