We asked the candidates ...

I do not believe that continued military conflict is acceptable, required or desired.  A political solution has to be the clarion call.  I will vote for an immediate bilateral ceasefire as continually pursued by the Lib Dems.  I will call for the international community to press for such a ceasefire with my Lib Dems colleagues.

I am a member of the Lib Dems Friends of Palestine group Liberal Democrat Friends of Palestine (ldfp.org.uk) but also have Jewish heritage. I worked professionally for many years as a community and counselling psychologist with a specialism of post-traumatic stress and particularly worked with victims and survivors of wars and conflict from around the world seeking refuge in UK including Palestine.

Layla Moran MP is the Liberal Democrats’ Spokesperson for Foreign Affairs and is British-Palestinian. She is the only MP who has a very direct connection with Palestine and speaks strongly with a personal and inside knowledge of the conflict and my personal views are strongly aligned with hers and the national Lib Dems position on Gaza.

The Liberal Democrats have consistently advocated for a bilateral ceasefire in the Israel-Gaza conflict. Their position emphasises the need for immediate action to address the crisis.

The scenes of innocent Palestinian civilians including children killed in Rafah are appalling and intolerable. I condemn the strike which reportedly took place in a refugee camp within a supposed “safe zone”.

As Keir Starmer has made clear, these operations must stop. Labour not only oppose an offensive in Rafah, but we also want the whole war to stop now with an immediate ceasefire observed by both sides. I fully support this position.

Strikes continue despite the International Court of Justice (ICJ) ruling that Israeli military action in Rafah must stop. It must comply with the binding orders of the ICJ and heed the warnings that the UK and our allies have repeatedly expressed.

I think that the UK government should now work with international partners to try and prevent a Rafah offensive by being clear it will assess UK exports and, if the Rafah offensive goes ahead, join our American allies in suspending weapons or components that could be used in that Rafah offensive.

Justifiably, the USA has indicated willingness to continue supplying weapons that allow Israel to defend itself. Labour has been calling on David Cameron, as Foreign Secretary, to publish a summary of the legal advice on arms sales, but the Conservatives typically dodge the issue.

I also condemn Hamas’s rocket attacks on Israel and pay tribute to the defensive contribution of UK military personnel involved.

From the outset Labour has condemned the Hamas attack on 7 October 2023 and acknowledge Israel’s right to defend itself. However, this war must now come to an end - through an immediate ceasefire, the immediate release of all hostages and unimpeded aid access to Gaza.

I condemn the 7th October attacks and am firm about the unconditional release of the hostages. I have also called for an immediate and permanent ceasefire for many months - the Green Party were the first major party to do so. I have stood in the square in Newport most weekends alongside a group of islanders from all faiths who call for a ceasefire, condemn the plausible genocide in Gaza and have recognition for the Palestinian state.

I condemned the Hamas attacks but also condemn the war crimes carried out by Israel including the disproportionate killing of civilians and collective punishment of the Palestinian population by the denial of food, water and medicines.  

Greens support South Africa's submission to the ICJ that Israel has committed genocide (on the grounds of collective punishment) and the calls for arrests of Israeli and Hamas leaders by the prosecutor of the ICC.   Greens have also called for the Met to investigate government ministers for possible complicity in war crimes by continuing to supply weapons to Israel.  

I believe there is no military solution to the Israel-Palestine issue.  There must be a political solution that allows for the security and protection of human rights of Israelis and Palestinians based on the end to the occupation of the Palestinian territories' after 'human rights of Israelis and Palestinians. I don’t believe that the current Israeli government will willingly agree to such a settlement.  There will therefore need to be pressure, beyond mere rhetoric, to make Israel accede.  This may include sanctions and boycotts.  Greens have in addition called for personal sanctions such as travel bans on the Israeli leadership who have committed war crimes.