Sheffield Green Party Councillors welcome the Council’s decision to raise the Palestinian Flag on the UN Day of International Solidarity with the Palestinian People.
We are relieved that Sheffield City Council has reached a decision to raise the flag of Palestine on the Town Hall, along with all three other South Yorkshire Local Authorities. This decision is the result of tireless campaigning by the people of Sheffield in solidarity with the people of Palestine.
Palestinians have been the victims of a brutal occupation for 76 years, live under a racist apartheid system, and are being subjected to a genocide which has been going on for over a year.
It is now vital that the Council follows up this symbolic act of solidarity with concrete actions to help bring about an end to the occupation, apartheid and genocide in line with rulings from the UN, International Criminal Court and International Court of Justice. International law, conventions, and the institutions which underpin them, are in grave peril and must be restored and defended, especially in light of the reelection of President Trump.
All local and regional bodies and organisations, including the Sheffield, Rotherham, Barnsley and Doncaster Councils, the Combined Mayoral Authority, South Yorkshire Pensions Authority and universities must ensure that none of their partnerships or investments are contributing to the oppression of the Palestinian people and the gross violations of international law being carried out. Sheffield should once again declare an Apartheid Free Zone.
In light of the International Criminal Court’s arrest warrants for Israeli leaders, we repeat our call to 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.
