I have just returned from a parliamentary delegation to the Gaza Strip. I will write more about the visit later this week but, for now, here are two videos filmed in Gaza – the first on a visit to the Commonwealth War Graves Cemetery and the second at the fish market on the seafront of Gaza City.
I was last in Gaza almost exactly three years ago. I was part of one of the first groups of MPs to enter after Israel's ‘Operation Cast Lead’ which left over 1,300 Palestinians dead, the majority of them civilians and 352 of them children. Over 5,000 more were wounded.
Three years on, I had hoped by now to see how much had changed. But I write this near to - but not inside - Gaza.
On Sunday, Israel released 550 Palestinian prisoners, the second and final phase of the prisoner swap which secured the release of Israeli soldier, Gilad Shalit, in October. Israel reserved the right to make the final decision on which Palestinian prisoners to release, and which should remain in jail. Not surprisingly then, it attracted widespread criticism when not one of the 164 Palestinians...
I have just returned from a visit to Israel and the West Bank. Here are a few video reports from some of the places I visited. You can click on the menu button to scroll through the videos and also view them on YouTube here.
Speaking at the 2011 Labour Party Conference in Liverpool Richard called on the UK government to support the recognition of a Palestinian state at the United Nations.
I have written an article today on the Huffington Post discussing why the prisoner exchange matters and repeating the call for the release of the 164 Palestinian children detained by Israel.
I was Labour Member of Parliament for Birmingham Northfield between 1992 and 2019 and a former Shadow Transport Minister. I now chair Healthwatch in Birmingham and Solihull, and the West Midlands Board of Remembering Srebrenica. I also work as a public affairs consultant. I am an effective community advocate and stakeholder alliance builder with a passion for human rights. I am a trustee of the Balfour Project charity and of Citizens Advice Birmingham, and a former Chair of Medical Aid for Palestinians.