Malvern Hills Green Party’s local councillors support the call for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza.
Following the statement from the Green Party of England and Wales that called for the end of the siege and blockade of Gaza, Green councillors from across the UK have been calling for unity across the political spectrum in demanding the government support an immediate peaceful resolution.
In a letter to both the Foreign Secretary, James Cleverly, and his Labour counterpart, Shadow Foreign Secretary David Lammy, Green co-leaders Carla Denyer and Adrian Ramsay, deputy leader Zack Polanski and Global Solidarity spokesperson Carne Ross set out how the only way to protect civilians is for the fighting to stop.
In addition, they call on both the Conservatives and Labour to throw their weight behind an “internationally arbitrated once-and-for-all settlement” so that “Israeli and Palestinian citizens can live in safety and security with their rights, at last, fully protected.”
Co-leader Carla Denyer said:
“The mass civilian suffering we have seen in Israel and Gaza has shocked the world. Over 700 civilians are being killed every day, one child every ten minutes. The dire humanitarian situation is clearly intolerable and must end.
“We cannot hear arguments about violence now somehow preventing further violence in future without shuddering. The lives of children cannot be bartered in this way.
“We are deeply concerned that neither the UK government nor the official opposition has joined international calls for a ceasefire. It is with deep regret that the Green Party feels the need to point out that at times like these, silence is complicity.
“We urge both the government and the Labour Party to listen to the British people, three-quarters of whom want an immediate ceasefire.”
In the letters, the Green Party sets out how war crimes have been committed by both sides since Hamas’s horrific attacks on 7 October.
Green Party co-leader Adrian Ramsay said:
“The awful attacks committed by Hamas on 7 October were brutal violence, and the hostages must be released unconditionally, but the horrific attacks we saw on that day cannot justify military actions that break international law.
“There is no military route to long-term safety and security for the Israeli and Palestinian peoples, as they both deserve. Instead, there must be a political settlement, based on the requirements of international law and beginning with an end to the occupation.
“The UK government should push for an internationally arbitrated once-and-for-all settlement that fully ends the occupation of Palestinian territories including East Jerusalem, in accordance with the requirements of international law.
“It used to be the case that international law was the basis of UK government policy, and the positions of both Conservatives and Labour. It is deeply troubling that this seems to have been forgotten by both government and opposition. Such an abandonment will do long-term harm to Britain’s already-questionable reputation as a defender of the international rules-based order.”
The Green Group of Councillors on Malvern Hills District Council wish to affirm and support these calls to bring an end to the suffering in Gaza, and condemn Islamophobia, antisemitism and all other forms of racism that are being propagated by those looking to divide our communities and who are seeking to dismantle any hope for a peaceful settlement.
Notes
https://greenparty.org.uk/assets/files/letters/letter-to-foreign-secretary.pdf
https://greenparty.org.uk/assets/files/letters/letter-to-david-lammy.pdf
https://yougov.co.uk/topics/travel/survey-results/daily/2023/10/19/e363e/1
