AT the rally in Whitehall, next to Downing Street, Palestinian Ambassador to the UK Husam Zomlot said: ‘It has been one year of genocide and war crimes every single hour and it has been one year of world silence.
‘For about 76 years we have been denied our very fundamental rights. Two-thirds of our nation was displaced in the Nakba, but not anymore. Enough! I have a message for Israel – every country you invade, you lose! Every home you bomb, you lose! Every bomb you drop, you lose!
‘As long as you think you can bomb to victory, you lose! From the ruins of Gaza, Jenin, Beirut and all across Lebanon, despite all the ruins, we will not be defeated!
‘You tried to defeat us in 1948 in 67, in 82, in 2006 and now this, the fifth war on Gaza, and we are not defeated! Israel has assassinated most of our political leaders and we are still not defeated!
‘And in fact, we are winning. We have won the legal battle. It has been clear that there must be a full arms embargo and those responsible for war crimes must be held accountable in The Hague. They will be held to account.
‘Seventy per cent of all governments now recognise the state of Palestine. Law must be applied equally. And when it comes, as it will inevitably come, our victory will be your victory. The last mile is the hardest, but it is also the last mile. I can see the finish line and we will very soon all meet in a free Palestine.’
Zomlot was the second speaker at the rally. The first speaker was Hamza Yusuf, former First Minister of Scotland, who said: ‘We have people of every creed and nationality standing here saying to the people of Gaza and Lebanon we are with you.
‘The Israeli government is breaking international law and is completely out of control, backed by arms sales from the UK.
‘Starmer stood up again last week and made an address to the nation, saying the UK stands with Israel. He stands with those who have committed war crimes after war crime. Enough is enough. Issue the arrest warrant against Netanyahu.’
Apsana Begum, MP for Poplar and Limehouse, said: ‘We have to have a full complete arms embargo on Israel. UK support for Israeli genocide is unforgivable and must end now.’
Lindsey German from the Stop the War Coalition said: ‘They’ve now killed 2,000 Lebanese and now we are seeing the prospect of a war between Iran and Israel.
‘This is our 20th national march in a year. We say stop the war now. Next Thursday, the national Day of Action for Palestine, we are asking every trade unionist to take action.’
Ahmed Abofoul, a Gaza- born legal officer for Al-Haq, which is taking the UK government to court to stop arms sales to Israel, said: ‘The UK government and its leaders have the blood of Palestine on their hands.
‘Our case has compelled the government to stop 30 licences to Israel. It’s a small step but we won’t stop until all the sales end. We will also ensure that those individual politicians guilty of war crimes will be held to account.’
Maryam Eslamdoust, the General Secretary of the TSSA transport workers union, said: ‘Genocide in Gaza is continuing with fresh massacres every day. Israel’s crimes are manifold. Now they are bombing residential housing estates in Beirut. British involvement is complete.
‘As an Iranian, I fear war with Iran. War across the Middle East will be a disaster for all. It must not happen. Meaningful action is required from the trade unions. Free Lebanon, free Palestine!’
Leanne Mohamad, who stood in the general election in support of Palestine against the Labour Health Secretary Wes Streeting and nearly beat him, told the rally: ‘A year on and we are witnessing daily atrocities.
‘They bombed Beirut with impunity this week. We saw Starmer rushing to the podium and saying we stand with Israel. David Lammy, the Foreign Secretary made his name as a supposed anti-racist and now he supports the racist Israel. We have to step up our efforts. There is a mass mobilisation for justice for Palestine.
‘I came within 500 votes of defeating a senior government minister in the election. We have to be confident we’re on the road to victory.’
Keifer Taneem, a Lebanese worker in the UK, said: ‘There have been 2,000 Lebanese killed in the past two weeks. 125 ambulances have been hit, nine hospitals. Mosques and schools have been bombed. There must be a ceasefire. Bring the criminals to court and stop arming Israel.’
Stephen Kapos, an 87-year-old Holocaust survivor from the Jewish Bloc, said: ‘I was seven when the Nazis marched into Budapest. 400,000 Jews were deported to Auschwitz. We children were smuggled into hiding pretending to be gentiles.
‘We Jews who survived the genocide of the Holocaust are against the Israeli genocide today. We are against the conflation of simply because you are Jewish you support the crimes of Israel.
‘It is not anti-semitic to oppose the state of Israel. We Holocaust survivors disprove the lie that these great marches are no-go areas for Jews.
‘I witnessed so much pain as a seven-year-old during the Holocaust and it gives me so much pain to witness it again now.’
Mustafa Al-Dabbagh, from the Muslim Association in Britain, said: ‘As if destroying Gaza has not been enough Israel has started bombing Lebanon.
‘Israel has rejected time and time again the Palestinian state. It has made clear no two-state solution will be possible. It is determined to subjugate an entire people to apartheid. Every bomb has British fingerprints on it. Stop all arms to Israel.’
Dr Ismail Patel said: ‘Today, 70% of Britons view Israel unfavourably and when Starmer says the UK stands with Israel, it is a lie. Italy and Spain have broken relation with Israel. The International Court of Justice is pursuing an arrest warrant for Netanyahu, the Butcher of Gaza.
‘It is because of our relentless protests that now 146 countries recognise the Palestinian state. Israel’s credit rating is being downgraded but more important we have given the Palestinian people hope in the face of genocide.’
Zara Sultana, Coventry South MP, said: ‘A system of oppression knows no borders and Zionist oppression is now extended into Lebanon. We have witnessed a year of Gaza genocide. Refugee camps, hospitals, schools, all are targeted, abetted by our government and the United States.
‘British-made weapons are still being sent. Their calls for a ceasefire are just hypocritical when your arms sales are still going there. The UK risks complicity with war crimes.’
Maysara Ibraham from the Palestine Forum in Britain said: ‘The terrorist entity of Israel has turned Gaza into the biggest execution camp in the world. We will not be complicit. Our anger must turn into action. We must end this brutal genocide, we must fight until Palestine is free, from the river to the sea.’
Jeremy Corbyn MP for Islington, said: ‘All across the UK people are showing their anger at Israeli genocide. There is bombing of Gaza, Yemen, Syria, Lebanon, Iran and Iraq.
‘How is it that Israel, the country of five million people, can cause such mayhem? It is because another 20 billion dollars of arms from the US has gone there. And this country is complicit, not with the bombs but with the parts.
‘How can killing 16,000 children in Gaza be called any kind of self-defence? Netanyahu must be arraigned to the International Criminal Court. Our message to this government is halt the arms supplies now. The principal issue is end the occupation, end the arms supplies, recognise the Palestinian state now.’
Daniel Kebede, General Secretary of the National Education Union said: ‘One year on and for a year in Gaza children have been denied their right to schooling. 94% of schools have been damaged, 78 schools suffered direct hits.
‘Since 17th September Lebanon has suffered and in just two weeks over 2,000 Lebanese have died. End UK arms sales to Israel.’
Louise Regan, Palestine Solidarity Campaign Chairman, said: ‘Of the 42,000 killed in Gaza two-thirds of them are women and children. This is a genocide built on 76 years of occupation. Go back to your trade unions to push for boycotts and sanctions, come out next Thursday and come to our trade union conference on 19th October.’
Alex Gordon Chair of the RMT transport union said: ‘Last month the TUC in Brighton reafirmed support for Palestine. The entire TUC called for recognition of the Palestinian state.
‘There was a unanimous call for an end to all licences for arms to Israel. We also condemn Britain for joining in the bombing of Lebanon. We are calling on you to come out on the UK Day of Action on Thursday 10th October and demand an immediate ceasefire.
‘Also come to the Palestine Solidarity Campaign’s trade unions conference on 19th October. Long live Palestine, Gaza and Lebanon.’
Independent MP for Dewsbury and Batley, Iqbal Mohamed said: ‘Starmer, stop arming and defending Israel, stop enabling Israel’s mass murder. If Starmer wants to avoid being dragged before the courts for supporting genocide he must stop arms sales now.’
Amira Nimerawi, a Palestinian health worker, said: ‘My biggest honour was being born Palestinian. There’s been 365 Days of genocide. We have so much to say today. Our revolution, the people’s revolution, is here to stay. We tell the Zionist war machine that we will not be silenced.
‘We see the snake’s head, the fangs of Zionism, rising from the rubble and we say this as health workers around the world – we will follow our leaders. We must not despair at the over 1,000 of our leaders who have been killed. The blood of our martyrs is being injected into the veins of our revolution.’
Khalim, chair of the Queen Mary’s Friends of Palestine group, said: ‘The encampments showed we will not be silent bystanders. Our systematic demand is the right to education for Palestinian and now Lebanese students. Students have the power to demand our universities and our government stops supporting genocide. Commit to the fight – Boycott, Divest and Sanctions.’
The final speaker was Ben Jamal, Secretary of the Palestine Solidarity Campaign, who said: ‘Israel’s system of naked oppression must end. Starmer claims to support a rules-based system but has been unable to criticise Israel’s genocide for a year and then he rushed to the microphone to condemn Iran.
‘We stand here today with the stench of Starmer’s hypocrisy in our nostrils. Israel is becoming increasingly isolated. Even Macron has called for all states to stop arming Israel. Israel’s credit rating has been downgraded and will soon reach junk status. Everybody, join the Day of Action on 10th October, and if you are a trade unionist join our Palestine Solidarity Campaign Trade Union Conference on Saturday 19th October.’
