Sheffield Green Party Councillors have condemned Israel’s escalation of violence in the Middle East. In the last few weeks, Israel has launched an aerial bombing campaign and ground invasion of Lebanon, attacking residential tower blocks, hospitals, journalists and UN peacekeepers in an illegal and indiscriminate campaign similar to its assault on Gaza. So far over 2000 people are reported to have been killed and over 1 million people displaced.
Last night, the world awoke to the sight of Palestinian civilians being burnt alive in their tents as Israel escalates its genocide in Gaza – attacking hospitals, encircling Jabalia refugee camp, and ordering 400,000 people to leave the north of Gaza despite there being no safe route to do so. This is amid reports that it has decided to “ethnically cleanse the entirety of northern Gaza through a campaign of starvation and extermination” known as “The Generals Plan”. The World Food Programme reports that no food has reached northern Gaza since 1st October.
We also note with horror, the UN’s Third Report of the Independent International Commission of Inquiry on the Occupied Palestinian Territory and Israel . The report details attacks on hospitals and the use of violence, torture, rape and sexual assault against Palestinian detainees, including children and medical personnel. It states that “Acts of sexual violence documented by the Commission were motivated by extreme hatred towards and a desire to dehumanize the Palestinian people.”
Sheffield Green Party Councillors now call on all Sheffield politicians – MPs, councillors and the South Yorkshire Mayor – to end their silence about Israel’s clear breaches of international law and crimes against humanity and publicly call on the Labour government to end its participation in them.
We request that all Sheffield politicians demand that the UK’s Labour government:
(a) Impose a two-way arms embargo on Israel.
(b) End negotiations for a free-trade agreement with Israel.
(c) Cease aiding and assisting in the commission of violations of international law through diplomatic support for Israel, the use of the UK Akrotiri military base in Cyprus, and intelligence sharing, reconnaissance and all other military support.
(d) Investigate the Israeli ambassador to the UK, and dual-nationals returning from service with the IDF as potential perpetrators of international crimes and grave human rights violations, including the crime of incitement to genocide.
