ON Monday night, a crowd of over a thousand gathered outside the Houses of Parliament to rally for Palestine and demand an end to Israel’s genocide.
In the shadow of the destruction of Kamal Adwan Hospital, renewed attacks on the Indonesian Hospital, and the escalation of Israel’s ethnic cleansing of North Gaza, the rally demanded the government halt all arms sales to Israel, the immediate release of Dr Hussam Abu Sufiya and other health workers detained in torture camps, and for the attacks on healthcare facilities in Gaza to stop immediately.
On a cold night, speakers including Jeremy Corbyn MP, John McDonnell MP, Ellie Chow MP and others demanded the cessation of all arms sales to Israel and reminded the crowd that, to date, eight babies have frozen to death in Gaza.
Many more are are suffering from hypothermia as Israel continues its bombing campaign on so called ‘safe areas’.
Adnan Hmidan, the acting chairman of the Palestinian Forum in Britain, stated: ‘Today’s rally is a clear and urgent call to save Gaza’s healthcare workers and to put an end to the ongoing genocide in Gaza.’
Zeinab Kamal, representing the Palestinian Forum in Britain, also spoke at the rally, stating: ‘The intentional targeting of hospitals and the abduction of doctors like Dr Hussam Abu Safiyah is a crime against humanity.
‘We will not stand idle while our government enables these atrocities. It is time to take a courageous stance, impose sanctions on Israel, enact an arms embargo, and demand justice for Gaza.
‘We will persist until the occupation falls, war criminals are held accountable, and Palestine is free.’
Yasmine Ahmed from Human Rights Watch highlighted the systematic violations of human rights in Gaza, while Janine Hourani from the Palestinian Youth Movement reflected on the enduring strength of Palestinian youth in their struggle against occupation.
At the rally, Katrina Jaye, one of the campaigners for the release of WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange, told News Line: ‘Labour MPs have no shame. They are not speaking out demanding that all arms supplies to Israel should be halted.’
Fay Dowker, a Professor of Theoretical Physics and a University and College Union (UCU) member from Imperial College, said: ‘If there was a General Strike called I would walk out tomorrow.
‘There is a big international movement developing in support of Palestine and it needs organising.
‘The working class is the only force capable of defeating imperialism and the billionaire class.’
- Earlier in the day, at a previous vigil organised outside Parliament by Health Workers for Palestine to condemn the Israeli genocide and show support for the Palestinian struggle, obstetrician Dr Alice Clatt, told News Line:
‘As a doctor it is particularly painful to see the way that the Israel Occupation Forces (IOF) are targeting health workers and health facilities.
‘More than half of the hospitals in Gaza now are completely destroyed, and those that are left have reduced functioning. The whole of North Gaza, where something like half a million people live, just doesn’t have a health facility functioning any more.
‘When you think about how vulnerable the Gaza population is at the moment, that is a heck of a lot of people who are not able to seek the life saving treatment they need.
‘In addition, more than a thousand healthcare workers have already been killed.
‘Medics are being detained completely arbitrarily, held and probably tortured in Israeli detention. It is obscene, it is a massive contravention of the Geneva Convention.
‘It contravenes all moral norms, so we are here to show solidarity with our international colleagues.
‘It is so appalling that the UK government is still supporting Israel at this time.
‘It is time to call out the genocide. It is time to recognise the state of Palestine, and it is time for a complete embargo on Israel, like was done in the past to South Africa.’
