“The time has surely come for the UK Government to say ‘enough is enough’, too many red lines have been crossed.”
By Hugh Lanning, Labour & Palestine
All law, be it international or criminal, has some notion of proportionality – that the punishment should fit the crime. Even in the midst of war, the protagonists – attacking, defending or resisting – need to minimise civilian casualties, and international law responses need to be proportionate.
The International Criminal Court will judge if Israel’s response to the Hamas attack has been reasonable. History will judge if Labour’s response to Israel’s crimes has been enough. The equation is not hard to do – sanctions on a few individuals, cessation of trade talks and withholding of a limited range of arms export certificates. How do these weigh in the balance in relation to over 50,000 deaths, the blocking of aid and the use of starvation as a weapon of war, together with the destruction of schools, hospitals, homes and civic and religious buildings?
A ceasefire has not happened, the death toll keeps rising, the starvation and destruction continue – Labour and other international pressure has had little or no effect on Israel’s actions. The time has surely come for the UK Government to say ‘enough is enough’, too many red lines have been crossed.
Public opinion favours Government sanctions, the cessation of arms and military collaboration with Israel. The Government has promised ‘concrete actions’ if Israel’s “morally wrong, unjustifiable” actions don’t stop. They haven’t stopped.
Below is a motion for CLPs to discuss to let the Government hear the voice of Labour Party members. The Labour Party has consistently expressed support for a free Palestine. Israel is intent on preventing an independent state of Palestine from ever existing. History has too many examples of the world not taking action when it was necessary. Let us speak up now and ensure that our generation is not culpable in doing everything we can to stop the atrocities that are taking place.
The Labour government should treat Israel in line with international law and take the following urgent concrete actions until it complies:
- Immediately end all arms trade and military collaboration with Israel.
- A total ban on all trade which aids or assists Israel’s violations of international law including trade with Israel’s illegal settlements.
- Immediate and wide-ranging sanctions, including travel bans and asset freezes, against all Israeli government ministers, including Benjamin Netanyahu.
Please put the motion to your next CLP meeting and let us know the outcome.
CLP Motion: Concrete actions in response to Israel’s atrocities in Gaza – presented by the Palestine Solidarity Campaign (PSC) and Labour & Palestine
This CLP notes:
At least 52,928 Palestinians have reportedly been killed in Gaza since October 2023. The widespread destruction of vital infrastructure including homes, hospitals, schools, universities, mosques and churches.
The Israeli government has blocked all food and humanitarian aid causing widespread starvation and the spread of preventable disease.
The threats by Israeli government ministers including Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu as well as US President Donald Trump to ethnically cleanse the Palestinian people from Gaza.
This CLP further notes:
Israel is currently on trial for genocide at the International Court of Justice, having already been found guilty of violating the legal prohibition on racial segregation and apartheid, and Netanyahu is wanted for crimes against humanity and war crimes including the use of starvation as a weapon.
David Lammy has described Israel’s blockade as “intolerable”, saying it is “morally wrong, unjustifiable” and “needs to stop.” He described Israel’s plans to ethnically cleanse Palestinians from Gaza as “repellent” and “monstrous”.
Britain, France and Canada have jointly promised ‘concrete actions’ if Israel does not cease its renewed military offensive in Gaza and lift its restrictions on humanitarian aid.
This CLP resolves to write to the government and NEC urging the following urgent concrete actions:
- Immediately end all arms trade and military collaboration with Israel.
- A total ban on all trade which aids or assists Israel’s violations of international law including trade with Israel’s illegal settlements.
- Immediate and wide-ranging sanctions, including travel bans and asset freezes, against all Israeli government ministers, including Benjamin Netanyahu.
- You can download the Model Motion as a PDF here or as a Word document here.
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