Response from Mr. Paul Farrelly MP (Constituency of Newcastle-under-Lyme, Labour)

You have to love getting letters back from Parliament... They come in a nice pale yellow envelope, on nice pale yellow paper emblazoned with "On Her Majesties Service" and in green the crest of the Palace of Westminster and "House of Commons" inside.

Paul Farrelly, by all accounts a very decent man, is my MP, and although we cirtainly differ in view on a wide range of issues (primarily on what he deems necessary for National Security and his support of certain recent foreign adventures by the British Expeditionary Force), I am pleased to report that he wrote back promptly and offered an interesting retort to my argument.

Dear Mr. Leech

Thank you for you thoughtful and passionate e-mail regarding the Palestinian Crisis and I appreciate and share your concerns.

Solving the Palestinian issue must be one of the international community's primary concerns.

To this end, I was present at an event recently where Gordon Brown was making a speech to leading figures in the Jewish commuinty in Britain. In his address he stressed that economic development was crucial for the Palestinians and that peace and prosperity went hand in hand. It was good to the Prime Minister taking such a balanced and thoughtful approach.

Unfortunately, however, such long-term strategies for peace in the Middle East are thwarted by short-term reactions, and over-reactions, and only by creating a stable environment can economic development occur.

Clearly, I will continue to support any campaign that attempts to solve the crisis and encorage further dialogue between all sides and I firmly believe that only through concerted international pressure will there be any resolution.

Best Wishes and Kind regards