THE FIRST Reading of a Bill calling for ‘an independent public inquiry into the UK co-operation with Israel since October 2023’ was passed unopposed in the House of Commons yesterday.
Former Labour Party leader Jeremy Corbyn won a vote on the First Reading of his Ten-Minute Rule Bill and the Second Reading will take place on Friday 4th July.
Presenting the Bill, Corbyn said: ‘The Bill is to establish an independent public inquiry into UK involvement in Israeli military operations in Gaza, to require the inquiry to consider any UK military, economic or political cooperation with Israel since October 2023, including the sale, supply or use of weapons, surveillance aircraft and Royal Airforce bases. To provide the inquiry with the power to questions ministers and officials about decisions taken in relation to UK involvement and connected purposes.’
He went on: ‘Over the past 18 months, human beings have endured a level of horror and inhumanity that should haunt us all forever.
‘Entire families wiped out, limbs strewn across the street, mothers screaming for their children buried under the rubble. Human beings torn to pieces, doctors performing amputations without anaesthetic …
‘We are witnessing a genocide, this time livestreamed all over the world. Today, the death toll in Gaza exceeds 61,000 and at least 110,000 people, or one in 20 of the entire population have been severely injured.
‘Two Israeli officials are now wanted by the International Criminal Court for crimes against humanity.
‘Britain has played a highly influential role in Israel’s military operations. First, Britain has been supplying weapons to Israel, weapons that have been used to bomb the people of Palestine …
‘The Foreign Secretary has accepted the fact that F35 jets are being used in violation of international humanitarian law, but at the same time admits those part go into the global supply chain and could therefore go to Israel. They know full well the implications. By justifying the continued licencing of these parts, our government is admitting its complicity in what are, quite clearly, war crimes.
‘I find this truly astounding, that the government is telling us loud and clear, that its participation in this programme is more important than upholding international law and the Convention on Genocide.
‘It’s very simple: until this government ends the sale of weapons to Israel, it will remain complicit in the mass murder of Palestinians in Gaza at the present time.
‘Secondly, many of us have repeatedly been asking for the truth regarding the role of British military bases in Cyprus. Since October 2023 military cargo has been airlifted from RAF Akritiri to Israel. This cargo has often travelled to Cyprus from US military bases in other parts of Europe. Meanwhile, RAF shadow aircraft have also been conducting nightly surveillance flights over Gaza.
‘And when the Prime Minister visited RAF Akritiri last December, he was telling troops “the whole world and everyone back at home is relying on you. Quite a bit of what goes on here can’t necessarily be talked about all of time. We can’t necessarily tell the world what you’re doing.”
‘A recent report by the British Palestine Committee says “The UK government is engaged in military without being subject to parliamentary scrutiny and these actions implicate its institutions and officials in the gravest breaches of international law”.’
Corbyn concluded: ‘Transparency and accountability are the cornerstones of democracy. The public deserves to know the scale of UK complicity in these attrocities …
‘We will continue to campaign for truth, for accountability and most importantly for peace and justice for the Palestinian people who’ve been denied all of that for far too long.’
10,000 protesters for Palestine surround Parliament
TEN THOUSAND protesters wearing red surrounded Parliament under the banner ‘RED LINE FOR PALESTINE: Arms Embargo & Sanctions Now’ yesterday.
Coming from as far away as Leeds and Cornwall
Inside the House of Commons, scores of MPs from all parties condemned the Labour leadership’s continued support for Israeli genocide in Gaza, with Foreign Minister Hamish Falconer answering questions on behalf of the government.
Many MPs demanded that Britain immediately cease arms sales to Israel and recognise Palestine as a state.
Stella Creasy, Labour MP for Walthamstow, said: ‘The United Nations says that one in five people in Gaza face starvation because of the blockade. Can I ask the minister if he agrees with me that the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) is clearly incapable of addressing the starvation in Gaza, and that Israel should immediately handover any operation of aid to the United Nations.’
Kit Malthouse, Tory MP for North West Hampshire: ‘We are all getting a bit fed up with the theatrics in this chamber, and if I’m honest with the minister, it feels like the whole House is being played.
‘He shows up, he mouths the words full of condemnation and being appalled. And very occasionally the government leaks out just enough sanctions frankly I’m afraid colleagues to keep the Labour benches from open revolt.
‘And yet, since he last appeared, 22 new settlements have been announced. And the Israeli government has replaced the other aid distribution system with a shooting gallery, an abatoir, where starving people are lured out through combat zones to be shot at.
‘If the situation were reversed we would now be mobilising, quite rightly mobilising, the British armed forces as part of an international protection force.’
• See editorial
