More aid for Gaza

On Sunday 18 January, Fiona Bruce interviewed Douglas Alexander MP, International Development Secretary

Please note 'The Andrew Marr Show' must be credited if any part of this transcript is used.

International Development Secretary promises an extra �20m from the UK government.

Douglas Alexander MP

FIONA BRUCE: Now, as we've been discussing, there are hopes this morning that Israel's ceasefire in Gaza will stick and lead to an end to the fighting there on both sides, and that eventually a lasting peace deal will be agreed.

Well few journalists have been able to get into Gaza during the three-week war, but those that have, and residents of Gaza, speak of widespread devastation and fear.

Israel's objective was to destroy or at the very least severely constrain the ability of Hamas to fire rockets into its territory.

Israel insists its targets were military, but Gaza is densely populated and there are claims of a thousand people killed and even more injured.

The British government has poured millions of pounds in aid into the Palestinian area and also supports UN operations there and the International Development Secretary, Douglas Alexander, is with me now. Douglas Alexander, welcome to the programme, good morning.

DOUGLAS ALEXANDER: Good morning, Fiona.

FIONA BRUCE: I've got to ask you, first of all. We've seen that Hamas has fired rockets already out of Gaza into Israel. Is this ceasefire going to stick, do you think?

DOUGLAS ALEXANDER: Well these are very anxious hours for not just people in Gaza and Israel, but for the whole international community who want to see this temporary unilateral ceasefire translated into a permanent ceasefire, indeed into permanent peace.

That's why our Prime Minister Gordon Brown is in the air at the moment travelling to Egypt, joining Chancellor Merkel and President Sarkozy to try and show our support for the efforts of the Egyptian government to find a way forward, and it's why today I'm announcing a further �20 million of humanitarian support to try and bring relief to the terrible suffering that we've seen in the papers and that you've referred to today.

FIONA BRUCE: 20 million sounds like a lot, but compared to the pictures we've been seeing of the devastation there, is it going to make much difference?

DOUGLAS ALEXANDER: Well we judge that there are two things that are required. We need aid, but we also need access because there has been severe constraints on the ability of humanitarian workers and supplies to actually get to the population who need it. That's why I'm despatching one of my ministers, Mike Foster, to the region today to sit down with the United Nations to see what further steps we can take to get the access to make sure that we can alleviate what is quite unimaginable suffering that's taking place in Gaza at the moment.

FIONA BRUCE: And also we were talking about that suffering, some of that suffering just now looking through the newspapers. How can you get that aid in because the Israeli troops are still going to be there on the ground, there's no indication they'll be withdrawing any time soon, Hamas are still firing rockets? You talk about pledging money, but how are you actually going to get the aid in there to help the people who need it so desperately?

DOUGLAS ALEXANDER: Well the Israelis bear a heavy responsibility. They've allowed humanitarian access for about three hours a day, which is simply not enough. We need to make sure that more convoys are able to get into Gaza. And we've been quite clear from day one of this crisis that we want unfettered humanitarian access to make sure that the kind of supplies that were destroyed at the UN headquarters can be replenished. 80% of the population no longer have clean drinking water; 13 medical staff, medical staff have been killed as a result of attacks on hospitals and surgeries. So the situation is very, very dire and that's why it's so important we get the support that's needed.

FIONA BRUCE: Now you say Israel bears a heavy responsibility for the destruction in Gaza. There's been talk all this weekend again in the papers this morning from the UN about a possible war crimes investigation against Israel. Would you support that? Do you think there are grounds for that?

DOUGLAS ALEXANDER: Well ultimately that's a matter for the United Nations. From the British government's point of view, we are clear that there is first of all a heavy responsibility on Hamas, who have been firing these rockets even in the hours since the unilateral ceasefire into Israel, but equally there are responsibilities on Israel.

We all know what ultimately needs to be achieved here. We need to see a two-state solution, we need to see a secure Israel alongside a peaceful Palestine. The tragedy is that over many years that opportunity has been missed. We hope that this conference taking place today in Egypt marks a new point of departure whereby the international community can help facilitate the security that Israel needs along with a reasonable opportunity for a decent life for the Palestinians.

FIONA BRUCE: But the conflict that we've seen, do you�I mean most commentators seem to feel this has set back the cause for peace, created a generation or a breeding ground for a future generation of terrorists who've seen this destruction around them in Gaza. What's your view?

DOUGLAS ALEXANDER: Well we're appalled by the continuing rocket attacks of Hamas into the Israeli population, and in that sense Israel's right to security is clear. But equally�

FIONA BRUCE: But do you think Israel's�

DOUGLAS ALEXANDER: �but equally since the 27th December�

FIONA BRUCE: But do you think Israel's response has been proportionate? DOUGLAS ALEXANDER: Well since 27th December, we've been clear in calling for a ceasefire. We're part of a European Union statement, which has said in terms we regard the action that's being taken as disproportionate, and we've continued to work with the United Nations, with the Egyptians and others to try to find a way forward. But, frankly, there will be time enough to look back at the lessons of recent weeks in due course.

The challenge now is to make sure we do everything we can to seize this moment. That's why it's so important there's international political support for the ceasefire and that's why the Prime Minister is travelling to Egypt today. It's why we need to continue our humanitarian efforts, but we also need to address the root causes. That's why tackling the smuggling of arms into Gaza is actually an important task, because if we can cut off the source of these weapons we could potentially achieve two things: firstly, greater security for the people of Israel; but also a greater prospect for reconciliation within the Palestinian Authority.

Because ultimately if we want to see a two-state solution, then there needs to be a partner with which Israel can negotiate and that is why we are so supportive of the efforts of President Abbas of the Palestinian Authority to get back to a position where there is a single unitary authority speaking for all the people of Palestine.

FIONA BRUCE: Gordon Brown was talking this morning about, or over the weekend at any rate, about, as you say, getting involved in the international efforts to stop the smuggling of arms from Egypt into Gaza. How's that actually going to work? Are we talking about British troops going there? What does that mean?

DOUGLAS ALEXANDER: Well in practical terms we've got naval assets in the Red Sea who can undertake certain responsibilities, along with the French and the Germans and others. The Egyptians though, which is where the conference is taking place today, can also do more in terms of trying to close off the tunnels whereby arms are being smuggled into Gaza at the moment.

There's also suggestions that there are arms coming over the Sinai. And in that sense, there are ways that the international community can support those efforts and that'll be the substance for the conversation that Gordon Brown's having with regional leaders and indeed with the Secretary General of the UN today.

FIONA BRUCE: President-elect Barack Obama soon to be President in two days time. What difference is he going to make to the situation, do you think?

DOUGLAS ALEXANDER: Well I was in Washington for a couple of days earlier this week and there is a palpable sense of anticipation. Our hope would be that, whether it be in relation to the Middle East, we would hope to see engagement by the American President at an early stage.

I was in Washington at the time for the confirmation hearings of Hillary Clinton and she spoke very effectively of the importance of using that smart diplomatic power that Glenys was speaking about earlier, and I certainly hope that some of that political capital that Barack Obama has, the immense good will that's felt towards him right around the world, can be deployed in the service of finding a comprehensive regional peace to the Middle East.

FIONA BRUCE: Douglas Alexander, thank you very much. Thanks for joining us this morning.

DOUGLAS ALEXANDER: Thank you.

INTERVIEW ENDS

Please note "The Andrew Marr Show" must be credited if any part of this transcript is used.

NB: This transcript was typed from a recording and not copied from an original script.

Because of the possibility of mis-hearing and the difficulty, in some cases, of identifying individual speakers, the BBC cannot vouch for its accuracy

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