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Israel and Palestine: Gaza

My Lords, I wish to ask a few questions which I hope may help to resolve our thinking on the way forward. First, I agree very much with my noble friend Lord Cope that the economic aspect must come first, even before the political one, although I understand that the political discussions are ongoing. Secondly, does the Minister agree that if Hamas could be persuaded to drop from its charter the desire to destroy Israel completely, that would very much help the thinking of the Israeli public and Government? If and when the border crossings are opened, I should be very much in favour—I hope that the Minister agrees with me—of them being policed by a joint force to ensure that Israel acts properly and that the people coming out of Gaza, and goods going into Gaza, are properly handled. My final point is slightly off the wall. We have been talking a lot about the tunnels and the arms smuggling. Is it not a worthwhile idea to sink a deep trench along the ““Philadelphia corridor””, with the permission of Egypt, and flood all the tunnels from the Mediterranean Sea?