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Hackney Lib Dems call Public Meeting on Israel and Palestine
2010-03-07 10:28:13 On Monday, the 15 February 2010, around 50 people attended a Hackney Lib Dems public meeting on the Israel – Palestine Situation. The meeting was one of a sequence on public issues and demonstrated Lib Dem determination to encourage local participation in national issues.
Speakers included the academic, journalist and Lib Dem, Jonathan Fryer, and Yossi Mekelberg, associate of Chatham House and Executive Committee member of London Human Rights Watch.
Speaking to a crowded hall, Yossi Mekelberg gave an impassioned speech on the desperate need for an enduring solution, after generations of conflict.
"A two-state solution is the only viable option”, he said. “Palestinians need a solution that gives then the option to build themselves and identity".
Jonathan Fryer spoke of the time he’d spent in Israel – in particular with an Israeli and also a Palestinian family, and saw first hand some of the issues faced.
The meeting was presented with a report on the situation in Gaza, from a group of organisations including Oxfam, Amnesty and Cafod. It was the very first printed copy of the report shared with the general public.
The discussion was lively but good natured and constructive. The panel faced questions ranging from Barack Obama’s ability to make a difference in the Middle East, to the option of a three-state solution.
Mr Mekelberg reminded the meeting that a solution would be found, sooner or later, "as long as both sides are willing to be assertive, in the right way, to find the right one".
Jonathan Fryer rounded off the meeting by saying, "one of the most important things to remember, in conflicts such as this one, is that, as humans, we have more in common than that which divides us".
The public meeting was held at the BSix college in Clapton, Hackney, and is the latest in a series of public meetings and events held by Hackney Lib Dems. Other recent events have covered topics including freedom of information, the inequality of Britain, and climate change.
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israel, palestine, israel, palestine,
