The instinctive reaction of civilised people is to call for an immediate ceasefire by both Israel and Hezbollah, a Resolution by the United Nations Security Council, endorsed by all Members of the UN, demanding a withdrawal of Israeli forces from Lebanon, the disbandment of Hezbollah with endorsement of the legitimate Government of the Lebanon and its duty to deploy its Army to protect its territory and the establishment of a UN peace-keeping force on the border between Israel and the Lebanon. There also needs to be recognition by Syria and Iran of their responsibility for funding and supplying Hezbollah. That is, of course, my reaction, too.

The inability of the international community to achieve such an outcome after so many weeks of apparently indiscriminate killing of civilians and destruction (not just disablement) of the whole infrastructure of life in The Lebanon, suggests, to me, two huge problems.

First, this is a deep and ancient problem about the very existence of Israel, about the clash of religion and culture, about the mindless extremism of militants who use religion as a shield and about the economic and social inequalities that create huge tensions both within and between the developing nations of the Middle East and The West .It is not as simple as saying, “who started it?”. Britain cannot walk away from this. Not only have we had a presence in the Middle East for a very long time (some might say since the time of the European Christian Crusades – still resented) but we were responsible, in part, for creating the situation in the first place, since we drew the borders of some of the nations in the last century and, since the Balfour Declaration of 1924, supported the establishment of the State of Israel.

The French also have a long association with the Middle East, especially The Lebanon, which why their involvement in finding a solution is crucial. It is probable they will also lead any UN International Armed Force. This will be very significant – because France is not a full Member of NATO, so will not be able to rely in the way we usually do on the strategic reserves of the USA and other NATO nations.

The second problem is, as Shadow Foreign Secretary William Hague has so rightly pointed out, is that so far the international community has failed dismally to understand the deep and dangerous nature of the arc of instability that has been developing for a quarter of a century, stretching from the Mhagreb in Mediterranean North Africa, through Egypt, right up to the Caucasus and extending to Iraq and Iran.

This demands a great deal more political and diplomatic effort, indeed a whole new approach and a much deeper involvement and engagement by the West than has been forthcoming. Whether we look at it from the angle of economics and politics, military balance or indeed environmental sustainability in water, food and energy, this is one of the great challenges facing us in the Twenty-First Century.

That is for the future. Right now, innocent people, Jews, Muslims, Christians and people of no faith at all, are being killed on both sides and their lives are in ruins. So is the economy and infrastructure of The Lebanon. So, what can we do, apart from pray for peace and support relief efforts? The UK has no direct involvement – no troops – and we are unlikely to change that, given the overstretch of our Forces in Iraq and Afghanistan (not forgetting commitments elsewhere in the world). The British Government has shown weak leadership by Prime Minister Tony Blair and Foreign Secretary Margaret Beckett (out of her depth in my view) and appears to have been too willing to drift along in the wake of the US Administration.

Our experienced diplomats have been doing their best – but cannot do more to exert British Influence without new, strong leadership and a fresh impetus from you and me, the British people and their representatives in Parliament. Unless the UN achieves a breakthrough very soon, I believe Parliament should be recalled for at least a two-day debate, so that your Members of Parliament can express the anger and frustration felt by so many of our constituents and argue the case for urgent action now and a fresh approach in future.

Robert Key MP