During the awful violence in May, Britain was absent from the world stage - despite our historic responsibilities to the region.

That’s why today we have set out a route map for the UK Government to follow in its engagement with the region. It is vital that long-term underlying tensions are to be addressed if we hope to achieve a lasting peace rather than a short term truce. We have once again reiterated our call for immediate recognition of the state of Palestine - and called on the UK Government to go further. Our members have voted for a motion that would see more trade with Israel and Palestine, further resources committed to peace, and international law upheld by proposing legislation to cease trade with the illegal Israeli settlements in Palestinian territory.. The Liberal Democrats have become the first UK political party to formally support the creation of a peace fund for the region, to build trust between Israeli and Palestinian communities, modelled on similar schemes previously used in Northern Ireland. We are calling for increased trade and cooperation with Israel and Palestine - including in the fields of science, medicines and technology. And we are also ensuring that as we increase our trading relationships, that international law is upheld, by proposing legislation to ensure that goods and services from illegal Israeli settlements in Palestinian do not enter the United Kingdom, unless and until a negotiated settlement is reached. It’s time for the UK to centre human rights, trade, and international law at the heart of its approach to this decades-long conflict. You can read the further detail of our support for the peace process here: libdems.org.uk/f39-peace-israel-palestine