The Prime Minister went to Israel this week to speak to his counterpart there and to reaffirm the UK’s support for the country following the attack on it from the terrorist group Hamas.
Unlike the BBC, I have no problem calling a group whose stated aim is the destruction of the Jewish state a terrorist organisation.
This is the position of our government and most of the democratically elected free world.
My heart goes out to all those families whose loved ones being held hostage by Hamas. The slaughter of innocents in the attack was an outrage and Israel has the right to defend itself.
My heart goes out to all those innocent Gaza civilians now caught up in this conflict and their deaths are a tragedy. All life is precious.
But Hamas knew what it was doing when it launched its attack and it’s happy for those civilians to be its human shield. They are expendable to Hamas and its war aims.
I am also deeply concerned how the tragic loss of life at the hospital in Gaza reported as an Israeli strike - a story that seems to be fast unravelling – swept around the world in moments.
We need to take a breath; we need to gather the facts; we need to ensure the truth is out there. This is an information war potentially just as deadly as the real one, and people moved to violence in revenge for something untrue.
I have been to Palestine and to Israel and I know a little of the complex situation in the region. My postbag since the attack - some in support of Israel, some in support of Palestine - very much speaks to how divisive this problem is.
My postbag this week also touches on a number of local concerns I have been working on at home in Eastbourne and at ‘The House’ in Westminster.
One such concern is the proposal to close ticket offices at our rail stations. More to come on this next week.
I receive several hundred emails and letters each week on any number of important local and national issues and it is an important and very valuable part of my work.
Please do get in touch if I can support you too, I hold routine surgeries each and every week.
And finally, please do sign up to my e newsletter to find out the latest developments.
