David Miliband

The comments by Mary Robinson on the total breakdown of civilisation in Gaza and the shock she felt only eight years after her last visit make grim reading of your assertion that Golan heights and Lebanon must be addressed before the Palestinians can have a nation. Let us hope that whatever Obama must do to minimise his Moslem connections, he and you can at least to something to relieve the suffering in Gaza.

Posted by rob leach on November 04, 2008 at 04:38 PM GMT #

Mr. Miliband, with a new President in office in the U.S. in January 2009, the possibilities for Middle East peace are ever greater. It is also encouraging that Israeli Government is showing keen interest in resolving disputes with Syria & Lebanon and leaning towards King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia's plan for a Palestinian State. Britain can play an important role in moving the process forward by putting Middle East peace on the table in very first meeting between British Prime Minister and the new US President. As Foreign Secretary, I trust you will play your part in achieving this historic peace.

Posted by Ajaz Haque on November 04, 2008 at 07:36 PM GMT #

Foreign Secretary, can I just mention to you that these FCO blogs are in principle a good idea and have a good intention, but I find that bar one or two blogs, I don't really get an insight into what the FCO is actually doing. I look to the DFID blogs which has recently been set up and they're all well written, thoughtful and insightful, and illustrate the individual's work in the field. All I seem to be reading is how nice the beaches are in the Seychelles. Standards have slipped.

Posted by Peter Drew on November 05, 2008 at 10:30 AM GMT #

Dear Foreign Secretary, I was at the Labour Friends of Israel lunch last week and throughly enjoyed your speech and memorable references to and quotations from that late Itzhak Rabin. You also commented on this being the 90th Anniversary of the Balfour Declaration and it is in this connection that I am writing to you before your planned trip to Israel this week. Israel, as you pointed out, has had many loyal and staunch supporters in Government and none greater than Winston Churchill. With his friendhsip with Chaim Weizmann, he was able to exercise his influence on the process that led to the Declaration and remained , in the decades that followed, many of them very difficult ones for the UK's posiiton in the region, a staunch, unflinching supporter of the Zionist dream for an independent state. He often fought Israel's case alone, during the war and the challenges to the British mandate in Palestine. There is no better summary of his unflinching conviction of Israel's positive contribution towards peace in the area than in Sir Martin Gilbert's book - Churchill and the Jews, published last year. Despite this record, there is no stone, street, square or building in Israel that is named after Churchill, while Balfour, Rothschilds and many other of Israel and Zionism's heroes are commemorated. In past meetings with Minister Isaac Herzog, he and I have discussed this anomaly. Would it not be appropriate and timely to raise the matter with Ministers in Israel during your visit to correct what is a gap, even if symbolic, in the close bilateral relationship. With kind regards Anthony S Rosenfelder tel 07771 948801

Posted by anthony s rosenfelder on November 09, 2008 at 02:22 PM GMT #

Israel has always said it is ready to negotiate. Negotiating is cheap - you never actually have to agree on anything. There has been one excuse after another for sixty years not to give an inch. The Saudi plan in its entirety is the minimum that should be agreed. The only legitimate state of Israel is the one with boundaries given by the UN in 1948. Even then, no state within 2000 miles voted for it. The Arab viewpoint was entirely ignored. They have paid the price ever since. I read in Haaretz that the Israeli's are angry that we are insisting on labelling for West Bank goods. That's the least we should do: much better to ban all Israeli goods until they tow the international line.

Posted by Keith Tunstall on November 14, 2008 at 05:48 PM GMT #

Mr Milliband, In wake of the recent developments in Gaza and Israel effectively thumbing it's nose at the IC, again...don't you think that it is time for sanctions against Israel to force it to negotiate in good faith?

Posted by Te'oma Johnston on January 03, 2009 at 08:20 AM GMT #