We must end violence by both sides in Gaza

When I visited Israel and the occupied Palestinian territory in January of this year I witnessed first-hand the devastation that prolonged occupation is having on Palestinian communities.

In Gaza, I witnessed the effects of ongoing cycles of violence and the economic impoverishment of the people by the economic blockade imposed by Israel.

Israel’s current military operations in Gaza strike me as ultimately self-defeating for their own security. Israel should recognise that collectively punishing and impoverishing the people of Gaza, including conducting extensive and disproportionate airstrikes in dense urban areas which inevitably result in large numbers of civilian casualties, will only create anger and hopelessness among the ordinary people of Gaza. Such resentment regrettably results in further violence.