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Regardless of whether the settlement was fair or not ( no doubt there are wildly differing opinions on that here) Britain wasnot true to her word and as such I consider that a betrayal of Palestinian trust. A betrayal we have compounded by standing alongside a US foreign policy which precludes fair dealing between Israel and Palestine.
Lots of words spoken about how much we condemn Israel's actions, but the truth is our Primeminister has manouvred us into such incredibly weak position with the United States that we are no longer even able to act as a voice for Palestine with the US.
Seems strange I know that we'd be in such a position in the first place but the truth of the matter is that despite our earlier betrayals the people of Palestine and the people of Britain ( in my limited experience) considered one another as friends.
The same can be said of Iraq. We had such a long history with the people ofthat region and its a history of blood and tears but there was in the last few decades a growing sense of freindship between the ordinary Iraqi and the ordinary Brit. Despite the sanctions despite all that grotesque unfairness the mood on the streets in Iraq was friendly towards ordinary brits. I recall a reporter going to a football match and talking to a couple of the people in th crowd. They seemed bemused by it all. They were warm and friendly about the British.
We stood shoulder to shoulder with the US government but like the other nations we urged the Iraqis to destroy their arsenal ( whatthere was of it) We stood over them whilst they dismantled their country's main defenses and then when they were done we marched in with the American forces. I believe we acted with dishonour and I see it as a betrayal of a very old friendship.
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