The UK has a Responsibility to Protect Palestinians against atrocities in Gaza | The UK has a Responsibility to Protect Palestinians against atrocities in Gaza

The UK has a Responsibility to Protect Palestinians against atrocities in Gaza

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I am writing to you as a constituent to ask for your urgent support in calling on the UK Foreign Secretary to take immediate action to uphold its Responsibility to Protect Palestinian civilians from atrocities in Gaza.

On 7 October, in retaliation for attacks and hostage-taking by Palestinian armed groups in towns and cities in southern Israel, in which 1,300 Israelis and foreign citizens were killed, Israel launched a campaign of indiscriminate bombardment in Gaza. Within just one week, Israel’s airstrikes killed more than 2,200 people, including over 720 children – more than during its entire 51-day assault in 2014 – and 28 health workers. Hospitals are overflowing, lacking the resources, beds or staff to deal with the massive influx of casualties. Thousands of homes have been destroyed, and now a million people displaced. The targeting of civilians is never acceptable. Urgent action is needed now to save lives.

Israel is imposing a “total closure” on the population, refusing to allow electricity, fuel, or adequate water or food into Gaza. These medieval siege tactics put more than two million people – half of them children – at risk of starvation, and constitute illegal collective punishment.

On top of this, Israel ordered a million people in northern Gaza to flee from their homes within 24 hours, southwards, through the bombardment. Those that fled arrived to overflowing shelters lacking water, food or beds, or slept in the street. Hospitals have been told to evacuate, in what the World Health Organization has called a “death sentence” for critically ill patients. Some have refused to leave their homes, fearing that their displacement will become permanent.

Meanwhile, dozens of Palestinians have been killed and hundreds of injured in an explosion of settler and military violence in the West Bank. Entire communities have been forcibly displaced from their land this year, and many settlers are openly calling for ethnic cleansing or worse.

The international community has a Responsibility to Protect populations against atrocity crimes, including in the occupied Palestinian territory. Immediate action is needed to save civilian lives and avert further catastrophe. I therefore ask that you write urgently to Foreign Secretary James Cleverly, and call on the UK Government to immediately take the following action:

• Demand that Israel immediately reverse its illegal “evacuation” orders for northern areas of Gaza, and ensure that Palestinian civilians are protected from attack whether staying in place or displaced. Displaced persons must be guaranteed safe return to their homes.

• Work urgently to establish a ceasefire and demand an end to the indiscriminate bombardment of homes, hospitals, and other civilian objects and infrastructure.

• Demand that all parties comply with international humanitarian and human rights law. Condemn in the strongest terms attacks by any actor on protected persons and objects, including healthcare personnel and facilities, and support accountability for perpetrators through independent mechanisms such as the International Criminal Court.

• Press Israel to end its policy of “total closure”, and allow the safe and unimpeded entry of electricity, fuel, water, food and other humanitarian necessities as well as medical personnel into Gaza.

• Respond to urgent humanitarian relief efforts in Gaza through a massive expansion of aid and the mobilisation of the UK Emergency Medical Team.

I also ask that you raise these issues with your party leadership, and urge them to articulate clear opposition to Israel’s serious violations of international law against Palestinians, and call for accountability, the urgent protection of civilians, and humanitarian access.

I hope you will take swift action to address these issues and look forward to hearing from you soon.

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