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| Lord Judd, president of IPU´s Committee on Middle East Questions, has called upon Israeli and Palestinian MPs to break the vicious circle of violence in the region. ©IPU |
IPU is working to convene as soon as possible a Regional Round Table of Israeli and Palestinian MPs to effectively engage both sides in genuine dialogue aimed at finding a win-win solution for all people in the region.
Following consultations with IPU Secretary General Martin Chungong and meetings with Israeli and Palestinian Ambassadors to Geneva, the President of IPU’s Committee on Middle East Questions, the British peer Lord Judd, called upon both sides to take a leap of faith and break the vicious circle of violence.
Lord Judd urged political leaders to have the courage to think and behave differently in the long-term interests of all people in the region. This could begin by engaging in dialogue involving a wider group of Israeli and Palestinian voices that represented a fuller spectrum of political thought.
The Committee on Middle East Questions is also carrying forward arrangements for a visit of its members to the region and is working in the design of a plan of action on facilitating discussions between Israeli and Palestinian MPs.
These discussions would be aimed at finding concrete, achievable ways to build bridges between the two sides by focusing on areas of common ground.
In a joint statement, Lord Judd and Mr. Chungong said: “The widespread sentiment of all IPU Members is that the over-riding imperative is a political settlement. While we welcome any ceasefires they are not an end in themselves. There is a huge amount to do in bringing the parties together to build peace and reconciliation. We strongly express our solidarity with all those who are so grievously suffering.”
“Bombs, rockets and bombardments cannot build peace and security. It is only in hearts and minds that secure peace can be established. We are confident that IPU will respond to this challenge, redouble its efforts and do everything possible, together with MPs in the region, to regenerate dialogue which is indispensable and to bring hope into a desperate situation,” they added.
IPU stressed that all MPs must reassert the primacy of safety, security and long-term interests of the people in the region. “What is happening to them is intolerable. Any lasting solution will have to be inclusive and genuinely owned by a wide representative cross section of those currently locked in conflict.”
IPU’s Middle East Committee was created in 1987 as an inter-parliamentary mechanism to use and facilitate dialogue in the region. It regularly brings both Israeli and Palestinian MPs together to identify ways to make tangible progress.
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