We are over 2,000 miles from Gaza, but close enough for the tragedy to touch us.

Gaza is twice the size of Pendle but with seventeen times the population. It is one of the most crowded places on earth. Over 1300 people lost their lives in the Israeli invasion in December, including 350 children.

Many say war crimes were committed. We saw the images on our television screens. The white phosphorus raining down on Gaza. The houses shelled and bombed. At the very least, Israel’s actions were totally disproportionate.

The decision by both the BBC and Sky to refuse to broadcast a humanitarian appeal for aid was shameful.

Israel withdrew from Gaza in 2005, but still keeps its hand on Gaza’s windpipe. The borders are effectively sealed. And the economy is collapsing. I have raised the issue in Parliament, calling for a UK arms embargo. We sold £20 million’s worth of arms to Israel last year.

I also want to see economic sanctions imposed on Israel through the suspension of the EU Trade Association Agreement, which gives preferential access to the EU for Israeli goods. The EU is Israel’s biggest market.

And I want a renewed effort to get a permanent solution on the Israel-Palestine issue. There must be an end to the illegal Israeli settlements on the West  Bank and a return to Israel’s 1967 borders. Alongside this, we must give economic support to create a viable Palestinian state alongside an Israel secure within its own borders.