At the Full Council meeting last week Labour Councillors submitted a motion on the genocide in Gaza.
The motion passed but amendments from the Green Party Group that would have required the Council to send the motion to their own Government to let them know the Council’s opinion were blocked by Labour.
Gleadless Valley Green Councillor Alexi Dimond said,
“Labour moved a motion on the Gaza genocide entitled “Not in our name”, but then voted against Green amendments that would have added meaningful action. They even voted against sending a copy of the motion to the Labour Government – which is participating in the genocide; or the Pensions Authority – which hold shares in Israeli government bonds, and in companies profiting from Israel’s occupation and the genocide. If Labour councillors really want to say “Not in our name” the only option open to them is to resign from the party.
“It has taken 22 months of mass killings, deliberate starvation and the murder of tens of thousands, if not hundreds of thousands of people over 30% of them children; for Labour to submit this motion. It signals that all members of this Council are finally waking up to what Israeli leaders have made explicit since the start of this genocide – if regrettably, not the Labour government’s direct role in it.
“As I pointed out at Full Council back in Nov ‘23, the Israeli government has been crystal clear about its genocidal intent from the beginning. Then Defence Minister Yoav Gallant promised that: “Gaza won’t return to what it was before. We will eliminate everything.”
“No Sheffield Councillor and no one in the Labour government – can pretend that they didn’t know what Israel was going to do in Gaza, and what they have done for the last 2 years. But that didn’t stop Keir Starmer from saying Israel had the right to withhold food, energy and water. I’m sure Netanyahu and the Labour Friends of Israel continue to thank him for this.
“Israel’s crimes over the last 2 years include murdering nearly 2000 medical workers, kidnapping and torturing medical workers, murdering over 200 journalists – by far the highest recorded number in any conflict in history – often along with their families. Murdering nearly 400 aid workers. Killing 1400 people queuing for aid. Deliberately starving a captive population of what was 2.4million people, half of them children, but may now be as low as 1.7million.
“Despite this undeniable genocide our government continues to arm Israel, and support them, as we have heard, and is even reportedly considering a new £2b contract with Israeli arms manufacturer Elbit.
“Recognising that Genocide is happening in Gaza is a step forward for Sheffield Labour but refusing to do anything about it is unforgivable. I don’t understand how any Labour Councillor with a conscience can remain in their party following this vote..”
