Dear Friends,

Many of you will have seen the news today that the Netanyahu government have commenced their long-planned demolition of Khan al-Ahmar, a Bedouin village in the West Bank, to make way for new, illegal Israeli settlements. 181 people, half of them children, will lose their homes, and the local school which serves children from the village and from neighbouring areas will be razed to the ground.

In the House of Commons earlier today, I talked about the devastatingimpact this demolition will have – not just on that village community – but for the peace process and the hopes of a two-state solution in Israel and Palestine, and I challenged the government as a matter of urgency to recognise the state of Palestine – while there is still a state left to recognise. You can watch my statement here.