The Palestinian people have the right to a state with internationally recognised borders. They have a right to a functioning economy. They have the right to be free and to pursue a better life for themselves and for their children. The sad truth is that today, with the blockade still in place on Gaza and in the aftermath of the appalling events on board the SS Mavi Marmara, we are a long way from securing that outcome. There should be an international investigation into what happened aboard that ship, but that alone will not undo the damage – to Israel’s reputation and the peace process – done by those tragic events.

The lack of a credible peace process is helping no-one. It sets back the date at which a viable state of Palestine comes into existence, it leaves Israel with few friends in the region and it poses an ongoing risk of instability for the international community. It is vital that we find ways to breathe new life into that process.

I believe that Israel must make an important step by lifting the blockade of Gaza as soon as possible. Israel has security concerns, but the blockade is the wrong way to address them. Instead, we need to find a way to lift the blockade that respects legitimate security needs, guarantees humanitarian access to help Gazans who are suffering from the blockade, and helps deliver justice for Palestinians.  The EU can play an important role here by providing a naval monitoring capability to ensure that arms are not being smuggled into the area by sea, and it can use its relationship with Egypt to help ensure the smuggling tunnels are shut down.  If elected leader of the Labour Party I would visit Israel and the Palestinian Authority and take a first-hand look at what is happening on the ground in Gaza.

Beyond that, and beyond continuous diplomacy, the major instrument for influence at our disposal in relation to the Middle East is trade policy.  I am against blanket boycotts of goods from Israel.  But Israel, and all countries in the region, must live up to the commitments they have made to respect human rights as part of trade agreements. The EU must be tough enough to ensure that these commitments mean something.

Israel has a right to exist, and a right to security; but alongside that right is a duty to comply with international law. Failure to do so – on either side of this conflict – is not just wrong, it also undermines the trust that will be needed to reach a just solution in the future. There is no path to justice for the Palestinians, security for Israel, and stability for the international community that does not rest on the principles of respect for human rights and international law. If we turn our backs on this, we abandon those in the region who are committed to dialogue; we strengthen extremists on all sides and we undermine our own security.  I, for one, am not prepared to do that.

Picture from /www.guardian.co.uk

Ed Miliband is Labour MP for Doncaster North, the Shadow Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change and a candidate for the Labour party leadership