Massive supporter of the Iran deal - it brings greatest hope for long term peace in the Middle East

The sanctions lifting deal with Iran and the major western powers is not without risk but it does one key thing that is crucial. It provides a road map for one of the biggest players in the region to head away from state sponsored terrorism and towards an improved if not normal coexistence with its neighbours, who have different faiths and creeds. This is vital for the future.
A fuller explanation of the deal is here: 

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-33518524
The commons debated this in detail last year and my speech is here: http://guyopperman.blogspot.co.uk/2014/11/iran-debatemy-speech-powerful-speeches.html

I have no doubt that this is the right thing that the western powers, led by Obama, have done. I support it wholeheartedly.

Iran holds the key to so much in the Middle East and good progress means a deal more likely than not

I am a big supporter of the huge effort being made to broker a deal between Iran and the UN leading 6 countries led by John Kerry, the American Secretary of State. These talks hold the key to so much in the Middle East, not least a de-escalation of tension, nuclear arms race, and a series of compromises for the greater good; there is no doubt in my mind that an integrated Iran will lead to progress in other countries in the Middle East. MY fuller thoughts are set out in the debate on Iran that took place late last year:  http://guyopperman.blogspot.co.uk/2014/11/iran-debatemy-speech-powerful-speeches.html
Fuller report of the negotiations and the objectives here:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-31984423

Middle East discussion event this Saturday in Hexham - Syria, Israel, Palestine, Iran & more on the agenda

I have tried to get to know the Middle East by traveling as part of holiday and work to the region over the last 6 years as a candidate, and then MP. As a result, I have been to Turkey, Jordan, greater Lebanon and Beirut, Israel, Egypt, and the edge of the Gaza Strip. I took my mid winter break in 2011 to Beirut, which was not everyone's idea of a holiday, and certainly was an interesting experience! I have not been able to visit Gaza itself. In January 2014 I helped out in a Syrian refugee camp on the Turkey / Syria border. I have spoken at length on the plight of Syrian refugees, the role of Iran, and the Middle East generally in the House of Commons. You can access my speeches on the website They Work For You and my blog for my experiences working with the Syrian refugees in the Nizip Camp.


Syrian Refugees:
The blog details my trip here: http://guyopperman.blogspot.co.uk/2014/12/international-aid-makes-difference-and.html
The Journal article after the Nizip refugee camp trip is here:
http://www.thejournal.co.uk/news/north-east-news/hexham-mp-guy-opperman-calls-6521153
and subsequent debates on UN Resolutions and the getting of aid into Syria in the House are here:
http://www.theyworkforyou.com/whall/?id=2014-04-29b.237.0



Israel /Palestine:

I should start by saying I am a strong supporter of the two state solution. I am not pro-Israel or pro-Palestine or anti-either. But I do support the continued existence of Israel. I may not always be in agreement with the actions of its Government, but that does not detract from the fact that Israel is the only true democracy in the region.

At the same time, I am proud to be a friend of the Palestinian people. I look forward to the day where the Palestinian people can enjoy the security of a sovereign state upon the successful conclusion of a negotiated two-state solution. This will require difficult compromises from the leaders of both states, and a resolution of the problem of Hamas, but it remains achievable.

The international community must restart its efforts to support a comprehensive peace agreement that delivers an independent Palestine alongside a safe and secure Israel. The Government has reiterated its commitment to recognise a Palestinian state, albeit as part of as a two-state solution, brought about through negotiated agreement. Everyone agrees Palestine should be recognised as a state, the only issue is when, and on what basis. 

The question is what is the best and most effective way for Palestinian aspirations of 

statehood and Israeli hopes for safety and security to be met? Our strong focus must be on encouraging all groups to return to direct peace talks. Clearly the role of Iran and Hamas is key and I have put my effort into pushing for an improvement of relations with Iran – as without this I fear the two state peace process will struggle. My blog post my 2012 Israel trip is here:
http://guyopperman.blogspot.co.uk/2012/11/iran-and-israel.html
My recent 2014 speech here on the recent Iran debate in the Commons is here:
http://guyopperman.blogspot.co.uk/2014/11/iran-debatemy-speech-powerful-speeches.html

The UK Government’s position on the issue of settlements is clear: they are illegal under international law, an obstacle to peace and make a two-state solution, with Jerusalem as a shared capital, harder to achieve. Ministers consistently urge the Israeli authorities to cease all settlement building and to remove illegal outposts, as required under international law,and in fulfilment of Israel's obligations under the Roadmap.

I have a shared debate on this, and many of the issues in the Middle East, in Hexham, this Saturday at 11-12. I stress it is not a hustings or a political meeting. It is a discussion. The desire for this meeting was at the request of several constituents who wanted to discuss the situation in Syria, and who wanted to know more of my experiences on the ground in the Nizip 2 Syrian refugee camp; the experience moved me tremendously, and it remains one of most rewarding experiences I have had as a Member of Parliament. I have spoken of this several times at other groups, and in other contexts, in London and across the country, not least in support of international aid, but never been asked to talk about these issues by the Hexham Debates or the Hexham churches, so I have readily accepted the invitation. However, because several locals, and the Northumbrian United Nations Association and supporters of the Kairos movement were keen to discuss the Israeli / Palestinian situation, and UN resolutions in both these countries and Syria, and we have widened the discussion. I have not previously come across the Kairos Britain movement, but will be coming to listen and learn and try and answer questions on the approach it espouses. In addition this blog is an expansion of the letter I have sent to various constituents who have written in asking for my views and wanting to know if I am pro Palestine or pro Israel or anti either. As I have hoped to show I am in favour of both Israel and Palestine and against neither. In short, Saturdays discussion is how we can move towards peace in the Middle East. Given that we only have an hour this will be difficult but it was agreed to press ahead on the basis that some discussion over an hour is better than none. I have the Hexham clean up from 9-11am on Saturday but will be there 11 sharp at the St Marys Church, Hencotes, and am looking forward to the discussion.

Today's Holocaust Memorial Day is more important than ever

The passage of 70 years since the day Auschwitz-Birkenau was liberated on 27 January 1945 has rendered those events no less unthinkable. For my part I have not yet been to Auschwitz but do plan to go. My trip to Jerusalem a few years ago moved me tremendously, most particularly the visit to Yad Vashem, the Holocaust Museum http://www.yadvashem.org

Many have uttered the words ‘never again’ - but recent atrocities in Iraq, Kurdistan, Cambodia, Rwanda, Bosnia and Darfur are reminders. 

Recently in France and Belgium Anti Semitism has seen Jews murdered by terrorists simply because of who they were. Across France armed police stand guard outside Jewish schools.

Our best defence against this poisonous ideology is education, and I support the work of the Holocaust Educational Trust; the Trust’s mission is to educate young people in Britain from every background about the Holocaust and its meaning for us today. I know they are working with several Tynedale schools very successfully.

Spend a moment today to reflect on what happened 70 years and more ago. 
More details of why this matters here: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/terrorism-in-the-uk/11367593/Britain-must-confront-the-anti-Semites.html

Iran Debate:my speech + powerful speeches by Jack Straw & Richard Ottaway -both will be missed on their 2015 retirement

2.6 pm Thursday November 6th
 Guy Opperman (Hexham) (Con):

I want to start by welcoming the debate and making it clear that I wish to seek a better relationship with Iran. I congratulate the right hon. Member for Blackburn (Mr Straw) not only on securing this debate with my hon. Friend the Member for South Norfolk (Mr Bacon), but on making an outstanding opening speech. It really was superb. Anyone who read the article that the right hon. Gentleman wrote on 24 September in The Daily Telegraph can see the line of travel that he wishes us to take, and he set out his case extremely well. Similarly, the contribution from my right hon. Friend the Member for Croydon South (Sir Richard Ottaway) underlined why we will miss both Gentlemen, from different sides of the House, very strongly when 2015 comes and they are no longer in this place.

 

I take the view that it is important to visit a country, if one can, before one tries to cast an opinion. I regret that I have not had the opportunity to visit Iran, although I have travelled extensively throughout the region, going to Beirut, Lebanon, Israel, Egypt, Turkey and Jordan. However, it is good to speak almost last in the debate—obviously I await the contribution of my hon. Friend the Member for Tiverton and Honiton (Neil Parish)—because I have had a chance to listen. There are clearly differing views across the House. There are those who have grave concerns that we are being too generous to Iran and that we run the risk of making things more dangerous and difficult and appeasing a potentially very dangerous adversary. One cannot deny those risks, and the hon. Gentlemen who set those matters out do so legitimately and, in some cases, with good cause.

At the same time, however, as was set out fairly by my hon. Friend the Member for Basildon and Billericay (Mr Baron), the failure to act at this stage has its own significant downsides—that is an underestimation—and consequences. In this House and in Government, one often does too much, but often one does too little as well. I feel that this is a case where if we do too little, the opportunity will ebb and flow away, and we will not be in this place again for a very long time.

 

It is rare that I would want to quibble with comments from my right hon. Friend the Member for Mid Sussex (Sir Nicholas Soames), who made the point in an earlier intervention—I summarise; this is the note I took of it—that it is tough if Iran does not abide by the rules. Of course one makes that point, and it is a fair point well made, by someone with every historical advantage that most of us do not have. However, at the same time, one must be realistic, in that, first, this is a negotiation, secondly, there is distrust on both sides and, thirdly, we have to work out what ultimate objective we seek to obtain, and it is inevitable that there will be difficulties, hurdles and obstructions along the way. I, for one, would wish our Government to push ahead, while accepting and making the fair point that this is not going to be a perfect ride along the way.

 

I was struck by how my right hon. Friend the Member for Croydon South set out that this is very much about two nations in conflict. Parts of Iran are genuinely liberal and generally progressive—he made the fair point that there are more women than men at the university in Tehran—but other parts we all find abhorrent, not least the difficulties in relation to Iran’s human rights record, but also its support for Assad and Hamas, its actions in Gaza, its opposition to Saudi Arabia and, frankly, the interventions it is pursuing in many countries.

We should not ignore the idea that Iran is a country that we can do business with. We have that opportunity now in a way that has not been possible for a considerable period of time. Although we need to look for a deal that is good for both sides, I take the view that the more we can move towards a deal, the more we empower the elected Government of Iran in what is obviously a power struggle over the country’s direction of travel.

 

Several Members have drawn attention to the interesting and complex political situation. The right hon. Member for Blackburn said that the elected Government do not control the judiciary. When I heard that, I nodded very wisely and thought that the point was particularly important, but our Government do not control the judiciary. It just so happens that the Iranian Government and the judiciary have slightly differing views of where the country should be going. In many cases, the judiciary has raised cases of great concern. We are all aware of constituency examples, to which the BBC and other organisations have rightly drawn attention. However, with a quasi-elected or appointed House of Lords, a coalition Government of parties that often move in different directions, and other interesting concepts—my hon. Friend the Member for South Norfolk and I had a rather esoteric discussion about what role the Privy Council genuinely took or might play in our country—the Iranians would probably look at us and say, “Well, this is also a slightly interesting political arrangement.” The reality is that we surely cannot push Iran away.

 

I want to talk about the 24 November deadline. It seems that we are all tremendously focused, and rightly so, on 24 November, but if the deal cannot be done within the period available and we need to extend the deadline, that is what diplomacy is about. It is no different from a contractual negotiation between two businesses. If both sides wish to make a deal, but for whatever reason they cannot reach an agreement, my view is that the deadline should be extended. I have no difficulty with that, and I would totally support the Government and the various parties to the deal if that is what they so wish.

It is absolutely paramount that everybody stays around the table in the long term, and ultimately that a deal is done. That will take—one must be realistic—concessions and a control of rhetoric on all sides. It will clearly not be easy for everybody to accept all parts of the equation. From some of the speeches today, it is clear that several organisations or interest groups are very sensitive about any particular deal. I want to make it clear that I have gone on a Conservative Friends of Israel trip to Israel and that I am a massive supporter of Israel, but that support does not prevent me from wanting progressive and better relationships with Iran.

 

My hon. Friend the Member for South Norfolk increased our linguistic awareness by explaining that “purdah” was originally a Persian word. As we all know, in UK politics, purdah means that the Government effectively cease to exist and cannot make decisions, and that no actions are taken. We are approaching purdah in several ways, not just in this country, but in the US with the changes following the mid-term elections. However, there is still a very large window up to—and potentially beyond—24 November in which to resolve these matters.

 

I completely endorse the points that several Members have made about the embassy, but the British Government must knock heads together to ensure that the embassy is reopened. I entirely accept that such things are not simple. We in this place, like many others, have often decried our Foreign Office’s failure to train and upgrade people to have sufficient ability to speak the language like a native or to have a genuine grasp of all aspects of the geopolitical situation in the country to which they are sent. However, if ever there was a need for diplomats in Iran, it is now. In my humble opinion, the prize post for diplomats of any shape or form should be a post in Iran in the next year or two. The capacity of such individuals to make a difference there, by working the traditional diplomatic routes, is patently obvious to all of us, but it needs to be grasped by the UK Government. Such diplomats clearly have a genuine and real job to do, and it is vital that they do it.

I support entirely all the comments that have Members have made, and I praise the quality of their speeches. I endorse the direction of travel, and I urge the Government to do everything possible to do a deal so that we can take this matter forward."

The full debate and Straw and Ottaways outstanding speeches are here:
http://www.parliament.uk/business/publications/hansard/commons/todays-commons-debates/read/unknown/378/

Was the Arab Spring a false dawn?

Remember our heady optimism that democracy would spread across the Middle East as peace and equality triumphed over dictatorships? This is beginning to look like a distant memory. I have visited the Middle East a lot but not as much as I would like. The area fascinates me, and I know that there is no prospect of peace in this world if we do not resolve some of the issues and problems in the region.
Yet it is not a good thing that the US embassies in the Muslim world are closing, as is the British embassy in Yemen, combined with the warning to Americans and other nations about overseas travel.
The Islamist terrorist threat has not gone away. Indeed, the decision of the military to remove Egypt’s democratically elected president has not created the uproar many thought it would - but sadly this shows that democracy is not going to come easily to the region. We may not have liked the democractically elected leader of Egypt but his country chose him. Now the military rules once more.
I look at the situation in Syria with horror, but what worries me almost more is the way in which Lebanon, Turkey, and potentially Jordan are being sucked into this Syrian civil conflict that is being increasingly taken over by a sectarian and religious war. My concern is also for Israel, and how it can stay stable and not involved. One commentator described how:

‘It’s as if the Middle East were simultaneously experiencing the French Revolution and the Thirty Years’ Wars.’
We, in the UK, are observers in an ever worsening conflict not 5 hours flight from us. I would like to predicts this ends well but it is going to take a lot of time and is going to be very messy. The French Revolution and the 30 Years War were similarly long, bloody and very messy but democracy and peace prevailed in the end.

All is not doom and gloom in the Middle East - as Iran elects a moderate, and Israel's former leader seeks friendship

Reformist-backed cleric Hassan Rouhani won last week's Iranian presidential election, securing just over 50% of the vote and so avoiding the need for a run-off. Rouhani said he had achieved a "victory of moderation over extremism".

Some 72.2% of the 50 million eligible Iranian voters cast ballots to choose the successor to Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.
Mr Rouhani, who has pledged greater engagement with Western powers, said: "This victory is a victory for wisdom, moderation and maturity... over extremism."
The USA stated it would "engage Iran directly" to find a "diplomatic solution that will fully address the international community's concerns about Iran's nuclear programme".
One of Mr Rouhani's main pledges was to try to ease international sanctions imposed on Iran over its nuclear programme. Iran has been suffering economic hardship, with rising unemployment, a devalued currency and soaring inflation. For my part I welcome his election - he is clearly the most moderate, reform minded and open of the Iranian leaders. And the fact is that he was fairly elected by a more modern Iran, whose voters seem to want change.

The second crumb of comfort comes today in a wonderful interview with the veteran Israeli Leader, Shimon Peres, who has given a very conciliatory interview on Iran - Israel relations. Asked if Iran and Israel could ever have direct negotiations with each other, he replied: "Why not? The Iranians are not our enemies. We have nothing against Iran."
The full interview is here: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/middleeast/israel/10125968/Shimon-Peres-Israel-and-Iran-could-negotiate.html

Obama is a critical friend in Israel with great speech

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-21886557 is the report of the President's very powerful appeal to a group of local Israeli students. Obama was clearly preaching to the congregation not the choir.
The only good future for both peoples, President Obama said, had to include an independent Palestinian state alongside Israel. His young Israeli audience clapped enthusiastically. The continued expansion of Jewish settlements in the occupied territories that the Palestinians want for their state was, he said, counterproductive to the cause of peace, and Israelis had to realise that. An independent Palestine would, the President said, have to be "viable". That word rules out the limited autonomy suggested by some members of Mr Netanyahu's government, enclaves that Palestinians refer to as "bantustans". 
He asked his audience to put themselves in the shoes of a Palestinian child, growing up without a state, living in the presence of a foreign army controlling the movements of their parents.
It is not fair, he said, when violence by Jewish settlers against Palestinians goes unpunished, when Palestinian farmers cannot work their lands, when Palestinians are displaced from their homes.

And the Israeli audience, not all of them but very many, applauded loudly again. 

Jeremy Bowen reports it well when he added:

"Extraordinarily for an American head of state in his second term, he presented himself almost as a political insurgent, telling them that politicians would only take risks if the people pressure them to do so. He told them they had to create the change.

The implication was that it would not come from Israel's leaders on their own. Mr Netanyahu's government depends on the votes of the Jewish Home party, led by Naftali BennetWt, who has said allowing a Palestinian state would be national suicide for Israel.

The truth is that the way things are now, neither Israelis or Palestinians could deliver the necessary compromises for a peace deal, even if they could agree a form of words. Both sets of leaders face too many internal political problems."
I should make it clear that I am a huge supporter of the state of Israel, and visited the country and toured many sites, meeting lots of locals last October. The people are brave, warm, intelligent and highly motivated to live and thrive in their wonderful country. But, I find it hard to disagree with much of what the President said. There has to be a Palestinian state. No change is not an option.