The visit included Jerusalem, the Gaza border, the Lebanese border, the Golan Heights, Beer Sheva and the West Bank.
The delegation met with Palestinian leaders, Members of the Knesset and the Israeli Deputy Prime Minister. Also on the visit, the group met Lord Trimble, Nobel Peace Laureate who has recently published a paper on the lessons from the Northern Ireland peace process that apply in the Middle East.
The effects of 40 years without a final settlement since the 1967 war are all around. The UN is feeding 1.5 million Palestinians. The Israelis are subject to regular mortar fire from Gaza and are close to completing a barrier to encircle the West Bank. This is primarily a barbed wire fence, but in places it is a concrete wall.
In Gaza, where Hamas seized control in June, 1.2 million Palestinians live in what amounts to a refugee camp. Kassam missiles are still falling regularly on the Israeli town of Sderot, near Gaza.
Presidents Olmert of Israel and Abbas of the Palestinian Authority are meeting face-to-face to try to identify practical measures of substantive progress which can be presented to the Quartet meetings in the Annapolis, USA later this month.
Harriett Baldwin said, "It is vital for parliamentarians to be well informed about the issues in the Middle East. The Palestinians need progress towards a settlement. Many Israelis we met doubt the Palestinians can keep their side of any bargain, particularly over security. I came away with no easy answers but with better informed questions about this complicated area."
Photo: Harriett Baldwin visits the Middle East with a delegation of Parliamentary Candidates from the UK.