“Israel’s operations have enforced human suffering on a vast scale. The UN’s Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs estimates 1.9million – over 90 per cent of Gaza’s population – have been displaced.”
Ben Folley, writes on Labour and Palestine’s model motion, which highlights the urgent need for International Law to be upheld and respected for the sake of Palestinian lives.
Israel’s relentless military assault on the Palestinian people of Gaza is fast approaching the milestone of a full year and with no end in sight.
The war directed by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has seen the collective punishment of a whole people, with civilians deliberately targeted by Israel’s military tactics and repeatedly subject to Israeli airstrikes and ground force attacks.
The approach of targeting civilians was clear from the start of the Israeli action, when Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, said on 9th October 2023, ‘I have ordered a complete siege of Gaza. There will be no electricity, no food, no fuel.’
That message has been emphasised by other hardline members of the Israeli Government in subsequent remarks. National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir said, in the same month, ‘hundreds of tons of explosives should enter the region instead of aid’ whilst another minister, Bezalel Smotrich argued in recent days that, ‘it might be justified and moral’ to starve the population of Gaza.
Israel’s operations have enforced human suffering on a vast scale. The UN’s Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs estimates 1.9million – over 90 per cent of Gaza’s population – have been displaced, some multiple times, by Israeli-demanded evacuation orders.
The quantity of explosive ordnance used by Israel – approximately 70,000 tons of bombs in the first six months – has been described as far exceeding the volume of bombs dropped on Dresden or Hamburg in passages of World War Two.
The impact of that is that the United Nations Relief and Works Agency recently estimated two in every three buildings in Gaza are damaged, citing the United Nations Satellite Centre. These have included hospitals and other health centres, schools and nurseries, and residential homes as well as key infrastructure supplying energy and water.
And the scale of the assault means Palestinians are dying in huge numbers. The attacks on them are responsible for over 40,000 reported deaths with estimates of a further 10,000 missing under the rubble, and over 90,000 injured in Gaza.
That human suffering is why human rights organisations and from the UN General Secretary down have been calling for an immediate ceasefire for months and why calls for the suspension of arms sales licenses to Israel are growing louder.
Israel’s actions have been challenged at the UN and in international legal fora. The UN General Assembly has called for a ceasefire, whilst South Africa has taken Israel to the International Court of Justice, which ruled there was a plausible case of genocide taking place. The International Criminal Court chief prosecutor too has sought arrest warrants for Netanyahu and others over responsibility for war crimes and crimes against humanity.
Labour in opposition demanded that the Conservative Government publish legal advice on whether Israel had broken international humanitarian law. Since assuming office, Foreign Secretary David Lammy has said he has requested advice but campaigners have been concerned about the delay to any decision on UK arms sales to Israel, as Palestinians continue to die.
Labour members at conference have demonstrated their solidarity with the Palestinians at annual conference time and again. This year, with Palestinians dying in their thousands and Labour now in power, the need to demonstrate that solidarity is more urgent than ever.
You can view the text of the model motion below:
Uphold international law for Palestinians
Conference notes:
- On July 12, UN Secretary-General, António Guterres, said “Just when we thought it couldn’t get any worse in Gaza… civilians are being pushed into ever deeper circles of hell.”
- On 19 July, the International Court of Justice ruled Israel to be unlawfully occupying Palestinian land in the West Bank, Gaza and East Jerusalem. It demanded Israel withdraws immediately, dismantles illegal settlements and pay reparations. It confirmed Israel is guilty of violating Article 3 of the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination, which prohibits racial segregation and apartheid.
- The ICJ’s January finding that South Africa’s claims concerning the right of Palestinians in Gaza to be protected from acts of genocide – and related prohibited acts identified in the Genocide Convention – are plausible.
Conference welcomes the decisions of the Labour government to restore UNRWA funding and abandon Tory attempts to block the International Criminal Court from holding Israeli leaders accountable for crimes against Palestinians.
Conference believes Britain has a moral and legal obligation not to assist violations of international law. We must commit to the application of international law, including abiding by rulings and judgements of the ICJ and ICC.
Conference believes the new Government should:
- Support an immediate and permanent ceasefire.
- Impose a full arms embargo until Israel complies with international law.
- End trade with illegal settlements and all other trade that aids or assists Israel in maintaining its illegal occupation
- This motion is being circulated jointly by Labour & Palestine and the Palestine Solidarity Campaign.
- You can follow Labour & Palestine on Twitter/X and Facebook.
- Rules and deadlines for Contemporary Motions for 2024 can be found here. If you wish to submit a motion on behalf of your organisation please do this before 5pm, Thursday 12 September.
- The National March for Palestine takes place on Saturday, 7th September, assembling in Central London from 12PM.
