“[We] welcome the growing calls for a ceasefire, including from the United Nations Secretary-General, the First Minister of Scotland, the mayors of London and Greater Manchester, and 76 per cent of the UK public.”
Amendment B to the King’s Speech
By Matt Willgress, Labour Outlook
Zarah Sultana, Apsana Begum and a range of MPs are calling for a support for ‘Amendment B’ to the Kings Speech which calls for support for an immediate ceasefire in Israel and Palestine, and reads as follows:
At end add ‘but respectfully regret that the Gracious Speech fails to include measures to ensure the Government upholds international humanitarian law and protect civilians in Israel and Palestine; utterly condemn Hamas’ appalling killing of Israeli civilians and taking of hostages; agree with the United Nations Secretary-General that these crimes do not justify the collective punishment of the Palestinian people; express alarm at the Israeli military’s total siege and bombardment of Gaza and the resulting high number of deaths and at an increase in Israeli army and settler violence in the West Bank; believe that the urgent priority must be to stop civilian deaths and suffering; welcome the growing calls for a ceasefire, including from the United Nations Secretary-General, the First Minister of Scotland, the mayors of London and Greater Manchester, and 76 per cent of the UK public, according to opinion polls; and therefore call on the Government to urgently press all parties to agree to an immediate ceasefire, the immediate and unconditional release of hostages, an end to the total siege of Gaza to allow full access to medical supplies, food, fuel, electricity and water, and a guarantee that international humanitarian law is upheld.’
Explaining the reasoning behind tabling the amendment, Zarah Sultana tweeted that “Every day Israel’s assault on Gaza continues, more innocent Palestinians will be brutally killed,” and “So long as our government rejects a ceasefire, it is complicit in this slaughter.”
And Apsana Begum MP said “It’s important now more than ever for the UK to call for an immediate ceasefire,” and “The UK should not continue to be complicit in the killing of innocent Palestinians.”
A supporter of the amendment explained to Labour Outlook that “It is important to build support for this amendement as there is a chance it could be debated and even be voted on, as the procedure is that the speaker decides four amendments to vote on. This means that the more support there is for an amendment from MPs, the more pressure there will be for it to be considered.”
Additionally, the SNP are seeking a vote on their amendment calling for support for a ceasefire, which Palestine solidarity campaigners are also urging MPs to support.
- You can read the text of the amendment here.
- Please take 30 seconds to ask your MP to back the amendment calling for a #CeasefireNow here.
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Free free Palestine
I am appalled that Labour does not call for a ceasefire. Why? They can ask for humanitarian pause as well. How does one cancel the other? Every day more deaths …on both sides…Labour , again, appear as a warmonger. There is no excuse for what has happened or what is happening.