“There is much more to do, we have our work cut out for us, and we have no time to waste.”
Ryvka Barnard spoke at a recent Justice for Palestine event, hosted by Arise and Labour & Palestine. You can read an edited version of her speech below.
Thanks as always to Labour and Palestine and Arise for bringing together this group of people.
As previous speakers have mentioned, the situation in Palestine, and for Palestinians around the world, remains dire and urgent.
The continued bombing in Gaza, where the genocide is ongoing. The daily dispossession in the West Bank, by the toxic combination of Israeli settlers and soldiers, with the full endorsement and active support of the Israeli government.
And inside Israel, Palestinians face systematic disenfranchisement and discrimination and increasing incitement against them in the run-up to the Israeli elections next month.
And, of course, the majority of the Palestinian people live in exile from their homeland, barred by Israel from returning to their homes despite their internationally guaranteed right to do so. And some of them, in Lebanon for example, are again facing Israel’s armed violence as the destruction and attacks on Lebanon continue.
Israel’s occupation and apartheid is not limited to the actions of a few rogue settlers in the West Bank, as some would have you think, nor is the genocide composed of the actions of a few rogue soldiers in Gaza, nor is any of it only a result of the Netanyahu government.
Israel’s apartheid has been ongoing for decades; it is built into the system, and it’s what has laid the groundwork for the genocide of the past 3 years.
The British government’s recent announcement of new measures to hold Israel to account is a real step forward, and will give us an opportunity to push in the direction of the changes we need.
And make no mistake, that announcement was not the result of some sudden revelation by the British government, previous or current… it was the result of the millions of ordinary people in this country who continued to raise their voices: in marches and demonstrations, in supermarket boycott actions, outside Barclays Bank branches, through campaigns of divestment in their universities, their local councils. Trade unionists across sectors, students, campaigners coming together, despite attempts by the government to malign us. That is what pushed the government to act, and that is a vindication for every person who has been doing the work.
But now is not the time for self-congratulation, nor is it a moment for us to step back and let others take over. Quite the opposite. The government’s announced measures open some doors, but they are completely inadequate on their own. We need to push them further.
Banning settlement trade is good, but we know that the settlements are not separate from the Israeli economy. The Israeli economy is a war economy, an economy based on theft and dispossession of the Palestinian people; it’s an economy of genocide and apartheid. On this basis, the British government should be completely suspending its trade arrangement with the Israeli state. There is no legitimate trade with a state committing apartheid and genocide. We need full sanctions now.
It’s a positive step forward that the British government has recognised that British arms exports to Israel contribute materially and directly to its occupation, and has committed to banning future arms export licences on this basis. But Israel is still operating the F-35 fighter jets that Britain continues to contribute to. And all arms exports to Israel contribute to its genocide and apartheid, not to mention the scandal of companies like Israel’s Elbit Systems that operate subsidiary factories across Britain, making killer drones and other weapons used in genocide. Suspending a few arms licences is a start, but we need a full two-way arms embargo now.
British companies like JCB continue to contribute directly to Israel’s crimes, providing the bulldozers used to demolish Palestinian homes and schools. International companies like Palantir provide technology to Israel for use in its high-tech systematic murder of Palestinians and yet continue to win contracts for the NHS and other parts of our public services. This is not just a shame; it’s a crime. The British government must cancel all its Palantir contracts and put in binding rules to prevent all companies complicit in apartheid from getting government contracts and operating freely here.,
So comrades, there is much more to do; we have our work cut out for us, and we have no time to waste.
Let me finish with a concrete next step. On 10 October, we will be marching again in London to commemorate 3 years since the start of the genocide, and to continue to push for full sanctions on Israel now and for a free Palestine.
- Ryvka Barnard is the Deputy Director of the Palestine Solidarity Campaign (PSC). You can follow the PSC on Facebook, Twitter/X and Instagram.
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