When president Obama was elected into office he made it clear that tackling the Arab-Israeli conflict would be his top priority. Since then however very little progress has been made, and now there are serious concerns that the conflict will continue to escalate and get worse.

Nick Clegg has called for a 2 state solution negotiated between the elected governments of Israel and the Palestinian Territories. This has to include Hamas, even though Israel refuses to negotiate with them. He has also called for the ending of the blockade of Gaza, and for an arms embargo of Israel after their disproportionate attacks on Gaza last year.

Meanwhile back in the UK it is important for Liberals to ensure that tensions in the Middle East do not spill over into the UK. We are determined to speak out against any Islamophobia or Anti-Semitism.

Hackney Liberal Democrats believe these are important matters that affect many people who live in Hackney. For this reason we have organised this public meeting to debate these issues with local people.

The speakers for this event are;

• Fiyaz Mughal - an advisor to Nick Clegg, director of Faith Matters. He is a frequent visitor to Israel and the Palestinian Territories.
• Jonathan Fryer - a journalist for the BBC World Service, and one of the Liberal Democrat candidates for the 2009 European Parliament elections and a blogger.
• Yossi Mekelberg - Associate Fellow at Chatham House and International Relations Programme Director at Regent's College, speaks in a personal capacity.

The event will be chaired by;

• The event will be chaired by Dave Raval, Liberal Democrat Parliamentary Candidate for Hackney South and Shoreditch. Dave's website can be found here; www.daveraval.com

The event will be held in B6 college, see http://www.streetmap.co.uk/postcode/E58BP, Clapton from 7.30pm.

You are welcome to come along and bring your friends.