THE UK and 24 other countries issued a joint statement yesterday calling for an immediate end to the war in Gaza, declaring: ‘We, the signatories listed below, come together with a simple, urgent message: the war in Gaza must end now. The suffering of civilians in Gaza has reached new depths.
‘The Israeli government’s aid delivery model is dangerous, fuels instability and deprives Gazans of human dignity.
‘We condemn the drip feeding of aid and the inhumane killing of civilians, including children, seeking to meet their most basic needs of water and food. It is horrifying that over 800 Palestinians have been killed while seeking aid.
‘The Israeli government’s denial of essential humanitarian assistance to the civilian population is unacceptable. Israel must comply with its obligations under international humanitarian law. The hostages cruelly held captive by Hamas since 7th October 2023 continue to suffer terribly. We condemn their continued detention and call for their immediate and unconditional release.
‘A negotiated ceasefire offers the best hope of bringing them home and ending the agony of their families. We call on the Israeli government to immediately lift restrictions on the flow of aid and to urgently enable the UN and humanitarian NGOs (non-governmental organisations) to do their life-saving work safely and effectively. We call on all parties to protect civilians and uphold the obligations of international humanitarian law.
‘Proposals to remove the Palestinian population into a “humanitarian city” are completely unacceptable. Permanent forced displacement is a violation of international humanitarian law. We strongly oppose any steps towards territorial or demographic change in the occupied Palestinian territories.
‘The E1 settlement plan announced by Israel’s civil administration, if implemented, would divide a Palestinian state in two, marking a flagrant breach of international law and critically undermine the two-state solution.
‘Meanwhile, settlement building across the West Bank, including east Jerusalem, has accelerated while settler violence against Palestinians has soared. This must stop. We urge the parties and the international community to unite in a common effort to bring this terrible conflict to an end, through an immediate, unconditional and permanent ceasefire.
‘Further bloodshed serves no purpose. We reaffirm our complete support to the efforts of the US, Qatar and Egypt to achieve this. We are prepared to take further action to support an immediate ceasefire and a political pathway to security and peace for Israelis, Palestinians and the entire region.
‘This statement has been signed by: The foreign ministers of Australia, Austria, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland and the UK. Plus the EU commissioner for equality, preparedness and crisis management.’
- See editorial page 6
Starmer welcomes Israeli military chief
There was a loud and lively demonstration against the visit of Major Tomer Bar, head of the Israeli Air Force at the Foreign Office in central London yesterday.
Protesters chanted: ‘Occupation is a crime, Keep your hands off Palestine!’, ‘From the River to the Sea, Palestine will be Free’ and ‘Free, Free Palestine!’
There was huge red banner demanding: ‘Stop Arming Israel’ and another saying: ‘Stop Starving Gaza!’ There were placards saying: ‘Human Rights are non-negotiable’ and another, with a picture of a cockroach declaring: ‘Metamorphosis by Labour’.
Protesters spoke to News Line.
Dan Ashman, from Leicester, said: ‘I am part of a “life is sacred” vigil. We visit genocide-complicit sites and we do a 36-hour compilation for the families of Palestine.
‘The Crown and commercial interests are complicit in the genocide. We are here at the Foreign Office to show support for Palestine.’
Samira, from the Community Camp for Palestine opposite the US Embassy in Battersea, said: ‘We’re here because we want to express our anger and disgust at every single Cabinet member, every single Parliamentarian and every civil servant that is working in the premises of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office.
‘They are in charge of licences and they can actually do something to prevent further war crimes being committed in Gaza at the moment.
‘There’s an expectation of 70,000 children who are going to be dying in the next week or two because there is no food, there is no water and no milk.
‘How can this be allowed?
‘Instead of allowing this to happen the Foreign Office should not welcome Generals of the IDF (Israeli Defence Forces) in this country. They should not be protecting Israel, they should not be issuing licences to arm Israel and further attack Palestine.’
Nas Charles, a community support worker who also attends the Community Camp, told News Line: ‘I tire of the “democracy” that is sold over and over again. It is our duty to show up against oppression.
‘I am a parent and when I see something that is wrong, you need to stand up for something that is right.’
