In Westminster last Monday, Dec 1, MPs called for the government to take concrete action to sanction Israel, with several calling for a complete arms trade embargo. The backbench debate highlighted increasing frustration within Parliament around the government’s failure to respond to the Oct 13 call for recognition of the Palestinian statehood, and on its wider failure to act to hold Israel accountable to its obligations under international law.
Responding to the petition END THE CONFLICT IN PALESTINE, which was signed by 124,490 people, Grahame Morris —who previously, on 13 Oct, presented the historic debate which concluded that government should recognise the State of Palestine, began his speech decrying the lack of meaningful action by the UK government to help end the conflict:
“There has been a gap in the rhetoric of Ministers. I know they made tremendous efforts, but there is now a growing gap in credibility between rhetoric and action, which is unacceptable. If we want to see an end to the horrifying cycle of violence and abuses of human rights, and if we wish to bring both parties to the negotiating table in good faith, we need to close that gap.”
He went on to propose a three steps that UK government must now take:
“What should we do? Members, and hopefully the Minister, may wish to consider my proposal that we put an end to trade with and investment in illegal Israeli settlements in the West Bank.
“Personally, I do not think that we should have to boycott settlement goods; we should not be allowed to buy them in the first place. The UK Government should work at EU level to ensure that such products of suffering and exploitation are banned.
“There is overwhelming evidence that we should also end the arms trade with Israel, based on United Nations evidence that serious breaches of international law occurred before, during and after the most recent assault on Gaza. The UK should have no part in them or in supplying arms and components that allow such things to happen.”
Morris’s sentiments were echoed by many other members stating only sanctions and an arms embargo would work. Labour party MP Sir Gerald Kaufman referenced George Bush Sr. withholding £10 billion of loan guarantees to Israel and MP Hywel Williams suggested following the “example of the Spanish Government” who froze arms sales to Israel last summer during the slaughter in Gaza.
MP from Northern Ireland Mark Durkan made the point that Israel couldn’t “go on believing that it can ignore all the world all the time.”
The debate was by no means one-sided. A number of MPs defended the government position, repeating Israel talking points about Palestinian “unilateral declarations” and blaming the Palestinian Authority for incitement, urging only greater efforts to “restart direct talks”.
Following protocol, the session concluded with the government Minister, Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, Mr Tobias Ellwood, responding to questions, in which he restated the government’s position on Palestinian statehood, and rejected out-of-hand any prospect of sanctions:
The Honorable Member spoke about introducing sanctions. I do not believe that should be done when we are trying to get people back to the table. It would be a retrograde step bearing in mind where we are right now.
We agree that Palestinian people deserve a sovereign, independent, democratic, contiguous and viable Palestinian state living in peace and security side by side with Israel. However, I am afraid we continue to reserve the right to recognise Palestine when that is most likely to lead to a two-state solution.
There were 40 speakers in a session lasting 4 hours. The general tone of the debate was one that urged concrete unilateral action; that the time for talking is over, acknowledging public opinion across the UK, and highlighting the glaring gap between the UK government’s grand words of condemnation but meagre action.
The full text of the parliamentary session is available here.
Goodness, they’ve really got the bit between their teeth, haven’t they? Who do these people think they are? Well, even in his current deLapidated condition, I’m sure King Bibi will be able to slap down Sir Gerald and the other anti -Semites.
This is really great. The Minister makes a lot of sense. There is no point voting to recognize a Palestinian state, and then doing sweet nothing about it. That MUST be followed by stern action against Israel. Spain did the right thing freezing arms sales to Israel during it’s relentless attack of Gaza, and I am ashamed to say the US disgustingly okayed more ammunition, to massacre more civilians. Since the US is under the control of Israel (there is no other explanation), it is up to the EU to take the leadership role and sanction Israel. Nation after nation, the majority votes to recognize a Palestinian State, and it shows a strong support for the Palestinians.
B D S. The only way now.
“The debate was by no means one-sided. A number of MPs defended the government position, repeating Israel talking points about Palestinian “unilateral declarations” and blaming the Palestinian Authority for incitement, urging only greater efforts to “restart direct talks”
Prolly Ulster Unionists.
Goodbye Milikovsky’s way
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KSdw8kYxnks
This is a very fluid and important time, with the Israeli elections looming, Netanyahu clearly running to his right, courting those who view the prospect of peace as an existential threat. Kerry came out with a statement hoping there will be a new Israeli government determined to achieve peace, with his own history of being dissed by the Israeli hard right for being messianic about peace. Washington hasn’t found a voice for peace yet, other than various people who’ve been disciplined by AIPAC: George HW Bush, Chas Freeman, Walt & Mearsheimer, and a few ex-Congresspersons. But we see more on the pages of the NYTimes now than we did. I think there’s an opportunity to take the Neocons on with righteous indignation about their mendacity.
And I like that GHW Bush is being cited in Britain as a positive example for taking action to influence Israeli policy (even tho it may have cost him his second term). I sincerely hope there will be very close coverage of the Israeli elections, and that Americans understand that we have the ability to influence them. We may be the last best hope to stop the build up toward the Likud Lucifer Effect that threatens not only Israel, but the entire Middle East, with deep global implications.
Now’s a good time to challenge the Neocons in their blathering. They are long past due some accountability for all the suffering they have enabled in the world and damage they’ve done to US global standing. And the Neocon-Likud alliance is both very strong and recorded in detail in The Clean Break and Project for the New American Century papers, originally published as a “break” from Rabin’s Oslo Peace Efforts. Let’s have a full blown debate about whether Israel and the US need four more years of Likud leadership away from peace, and Neocon influence to draw the US into more utterly destructive regime change initiatives, or whether it’s time for our own clean break, out of the Likud version of the Stanford Prison Experiment. Let’s use Israel’s elections as the excuse for detailed coverage of the whole Likud-Neocon corruption of American values. I’ve long thought Netanyahu was so heavy-handed that he will destroy himself. Better that happen in this election, than in another term run by the right wing free of constraints, such as they’ve been, from Yesh Atid and Labor.
““Personally, I do not think that we should have to boycott settlement goods; we should not be allowed to buy them in the first place. The UK Government should work at EU level to ensure that such products of suffering and exploitation are banned.
“There is overwhelming evidence that we should also end the arms trade with Israel, based on United Nations evidence that serious breaches of international law occurred before, during and after the most recent assault on Gaza. The UK should have no part in them or in supplying arms and components that allow such things to happen.””
Say it loud, say it proud! Thank you, Grahame and Stan.