Dear All,
As you may be aware the situation in Gaza is currently as bleak as ever. Many people remain homeless following the massive destruction over the summer and are very vulnerable to the winter weather conditions. As a result infants are starting to die of cold and exposure. The Israelis have also continued to attack the Gaza strip on a regular basis, and unarmed farmers and fishermen are routinely shot at for merely going about their trade. As you may be aware Israel and the UK are both obliged to uphold UN Security Council Resolution 1860 on Gaza access which stipulates that Israel must open Gaza’s port, and facilitate free movement of goods and people between Gaza and the West Bank, and which obliges the UK government to make arrangements and guarantees to bring this about. This has not happened. This is in contrast to the UK’s robust action in response to other breaches of Security Council resolutions. Palestinians within the Gaza strip continue to suffer from countless other problems including mass unemployment and lack of access to safe drinking water.
In the aftermath of the horrendous events in Paris and the threat of extremism it is particularly important for us to achieve a just settlement for the Palestinian people. The Palestinians have demonstrated their firm solidarity with the people of Paris and in addition to statements released by both Fatah and Hamas condemning these senseless killings, residents of the West Bank cities of Hebron and Ramallah took to the streets in sympathy with the victims and a candlelit vigil took place in Gaza City in front of the French Cultural Centre. However, it is widely known that Islamic extremists use Western complicity in Israeli oppression of the Palestinian people as a powerful recruiting sergeant for their cause, and it is to be hoped that politicians in Europe and America will recognise this as a further reason to end the culture of impunity for Israeli criminality and oppression that currently prevails. The alternative scenario of maligning all forms of political Islam as ‘extremists’ and ignoring international law with respect to this issue, whilst continuing to provide support for on-going Israeli war crimes (in practice if not in theory) will only send more and more people into the hands of the actual extremists as it has the practical effect of making peaceful and democratic efforts at securing justice for the Palestinians and other Muslims in the Middle East look like an exercise in futility.
Although he faced fierce criticism for doing so you can be sure that David Ward MP was speaking for myself and millions of others around the world when he said that Netanyahu’s presence in Paris made him feel sick. People naturally react to what they perceive as unfairness and hypocrisy with frustration, anger, and sometimes (regrettably) violence. And whilst maligning human rights activists, like myself, with the audacity to point out uncomfortable truths might be one way of dealing with this issue it is not the right way! We can only hope that politicians in Westminster will recognise the moral and practical imperative, for both the UK and the Middle East, of addressing the current government’s hypocrisy and double standards with respect to these issues as a matter of urgency. In fact, coincidentally, when I last met with John Denham at the House of Commons he had just come out of a meeting related to security matters in which he had made this very point. I should stress, however, that this is not a party-political point and Sir Alan Duncan and Baroness Warsi have both made essentially the same the point that I am making.
And whilst there are many Labour MPs doing wonderful work on this issue there are others who promoting a very hard-line defence of Israeli aggression (and the distortions and misrepresentations of what is actually happening that are used to defend it). That said, we do of course want to make this an election issue and will be inviting all prospective Parliamentary candidates in Southampton to answer a simple questionnaire to let us know what they will do for the Palestinian people if elected, which I will be sending out to them shortly. I’ll then be sending you their responses to consider as a factor in deciding who you wish to vote for at the General Election. Obviously I will not be telling anyone how to vote because this is something that you will obviously be deciding for yourselves on the basis of multiple-issues.
*What you can do:*
Read Palestine Solidarity Campaign’s Gaza Crisis Update, and use the e-tool to find and write to your MP.
Consider making a donation to Medical Aid for Palestinians’ Gaza Winter Crisis Appeal if you’ve not yet done so.
Yours sincerely,
Adam Waterhouse, Branch Secretary – Southampton Palestine Solidarity Campaign Website Blog
January 19, 2015
Categories: Palestine, Southampton . Tags: Anti fascist, Freedom, International, No Borders, Solidarity, workers . Author: wessexsolidarity . Comments: 1 Comment
Comrades in Chandlers Ford turned out earlier today to oppose a handful of heavily refreshed fascists who had come to shout at a Methodist church, apparently on the grounds that there might be some Muslims inside, prompting what must be the largest police operation the sleepy town has ever seen. The fascists mainly comprised Bournemouth EDL, inc Hazel and Whicher, a dope fiend from the island, and some teens in parkas who turned up right at the end perhaps wishing the trains ran on time. Poor showing from Hampshire; Rob Brammer (pictured) was conspicuous by his absence, he seems to have disappeared from both the streets and the internet. Perhaps he’s been locked up, or just pissed off with the coffee money – if anyone knows, give us a shout, we’re almost interested.
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Wessex Solidarity 