What is an MP? And a thought about the blockade of Gaza.

We live in interesting times, with representatives writing letters to the Guardian in which they declare their allegiance to their party rather than to their constituents - see here.  Caroline Lucas is the MP for Brighton Pavilion not the green MP for Brighton Pavilion.  This is the latest example of an MP's ignorance of the essence of their position: the MP is the representative of the constituency and all its constituents rather than by representative of the party which supported them and under whose banner they stood. 

We need our MP's to understand the true position if they are to represent us properly and if we are ever to overcome the apparent dominance of the political parties.

Turning to the content of the letter: it is not clear, as the authors believe, there has been a breach of International law.  A country involved in a conflict is entitled to seek to protect itself by action in international waters.  Here, we had a convoy of ships which had stated its intention to break through Israel's blockade of Gaza claiming that it would use exclusively peaceful means and met by Israel's intention to maintain that blockade in order to protect its own citizens.  One thinks of an immovable object and an unstoppable force…

There is little doubt that Israel's blockade is causing considerable suffering in Gaza, but that Hamas continues its action against Israeli citizens.  Israel is in an almost impossible position where it is damned by its own citizens if it fails to act and damned by others when it acts.

The stupidity of those who thought that they would avoid a conflict by attacking the individual soldiers as they landed on the ship with sticks and bars is palpable from the video images we have seen.  It is also pretty clear that the Israelis completely failed to anticipate that there would be some on board the ships who would prefer a violent confrontation where the Israelis could be portrayed as aggressors who were acting with unnecessary and unreasonable force.

Sadly, this does not advance the cause of those people suffering in Gaza or the cause of the Israelis who seek to prevent terrorist activity affected their people.  The loss of life is tragic but those who campaign against the blockade in Gaza should understand that this action will not have advance their cause at all.