Time to come off the fence says Mike Davis and Sam Tarry
Almost weekly in UK towns, cities and universities people have been protesting against the Netanyahu regime’s continued attacks on the people of Gaza and the failure of the Tory government to take any action beyond that of Washington. As we go to press the number of deaths (of mostly innocent women, children and civilians) reaches 38,000. The recent bombardment of a school in Rafah killed over 250 Palestinians.
The BDS movement has been targeting Barclays Bank for its funding of arms companies supplying lethal weapons to Israel.
Thousands of Labour members have been in despair about Labour’s unwillingness to break from a bipartisan position or to back more vigorously calls for an immediate ceasefire as the governing Socialist party in Spain has done. In many constituencies independent candidates are challenging Labour on its stance. In Ilford North a young Palestinian, Leanne Mohamad, is standing against Wes Streeting. In Bethnal Green and Bow Rushanara Ali is being opposed. Elsewhere in the Midlands and other northern towns candidates are standing to challenge Labour’s poor record on Gaza.
Meanwhile, the anti-Netanyahu Israeli-Palestinian civil society organisation, Standing Together, has spawned an active UK chapter which offers a way to talk about the ongoing situation without falling foul of the accusations of anti-semitism.
Labour has moved closer to an immediate ceasefire position although it remains hedged in by continued talk of the “right of Israel to self defence” and a refusal to back an end of arms sales and supply.
In June the ultra-right Israeli government has given the green light for existing and unlimited illegal settlements in the West Bank, further stoking the war.
Labour’s manifesto says “long-term peace and security in the Middle East will be an immediate focus. Labour will continue to push for an immediate ceasefire, the release of all hostages, the upholding of international law, and a rapid increase of aid into Gaza. Palestinian statehood is the inalienable right of the Palestinian people. It is not in the gift of any neighbour and is also essential to the long-term security of Israel. We are committed to recognising a Palestinian state as a contribution to a renewed peace process which results in a two-state solution with a safe and secure Israel alongside a viable and sovereign Palestinian state.” This is a belated step in the right direction. Now we need to see action. Equivocation by Labour in calling for an immediate and permanent end to Israeli bombing, will mean protests will intensify, this time joined by more Labour supporters who so far have watched events unfold from the sidelines.
Mike Davis
Israeli troops taking control of the Palestinian side of the Rafah crossing between Gaza and Egypt, is a terrible escalation of the conflict in Gaza.
The Labour Party and I strongly oppose an offensive in Rafah, where more than one million Palestinians are sheltering for their lives, and half of the children in Gaza are located. Israel has directed displaced people to Rafah over the course of the last seven months, resulting in many thousands living in precarious tent cities, exposed to untreated sewage and a dangerous lack of medical provision.
Israeli troops’ actions have provoked fear, confusion, and misery amongst these refugees. There is no feasible evacuation plan for Rafah that will protect civilians from an offensive.
This is also affecting the aid so desperately needed in Palestine, as the Israeli military have closed the Rafah crossing. With the vital entry points for the limited aid allowed into Gaza threatened, there is no plan in place for the adequate distribution of aid. With famine already advancing in northern Gaza, this is a humanitarian disaster at scale waiting to happen.
Israel appears to be acting with impunity. Tens of thousands of civilians have been slaughtered, many hostages remain in captivity, and thousands more innocent children could now die in this offensive. All nations should adhere to international law, and all those responsible for war crimes should be brought to justice through the international criminal courts.
The UK and other governments must take action to force Israel to curtail this offensive, including immediately suspending arms transfers to Israel to prevent these from being used to commit further atrocities in Rafah. Any military support must be halted, and targeted sanctions against Israeli Government Ministers who have advocated breaches of international law must be swiftly enacted by the UK Government.
Sam Tarry ex MP Ilford South