Today, Wednesday 11 May 2022, days before the commemoration of the ongoing Palestinian Nakba, constituents across the UK are asking their MPs to end their complicity in Israeli apartheid and calling for sanctions on Israel.
Organized by FOA (Friends of Al-Aqsa) and supported by a number of key organizations, this is the first in-person lobby of parliament for Palestine since 2019.
Constituents are bringing Israel’s illegal occupation and apartheid in Palestine to the attention of MPs, both in person and virtually, and urging them to take immediate action. Key points include asking for sanctions on Israel for its apartheid policies and ongoing attacks on Al-Aqsa.
Following the announcement of proposed legislation to stop public bodies from practicing BDS in the Queen’s Speech yesterday, constituents will also ask MPs to protect boycotts, divestment, and sanctions.
Individuals are asking their MPs to not only publicly condemn Israel’s recent use of steel-coated rubber bullets and tear gas on worshippers at Al-Aqsa, but to impose sanctions on Israel for these attacks. The recent assaults on worshippers left hundreds injured at Al-Aqsa Mosque.
The proposed criminalization of BDS is a critical issue right now. MPs are being asked to affirm the value of BDS in allowing individuals to make ethical choices regarding the products, services and culture they buy, use and engage with. This comes after many individuals across the UK have called out politicians for their double standards on Palestine and Ukraine, after MPs’ support for sanctions on Russia.
Pressure will also be on MPs to write to the Foreign Secretary to ban all trade with illegal Israeli settlements – there are now over 250 illegal settlements on land stolen from Palestinians. Banning trade with these will increase pressure on Israel to comply with international law.
This lobby is taking place one year after the Israeli attacks on Gaza which killed at least 260 Palestinians including 67 children. Since 2014, nearly £500m of equipment and military hardware has been exported by Britain to Israel, making Britain complicit in Israeli war crimes.
MPs will also be asked to call for an immediate end to the siege of Gaza, which has now been under an inhumane air, land and sea blockade for 15 years.
“Today, MPs face an important moral question: will they play their part in ending Israeli apartheid and support sanctions on Israel, or will they continue to ignore the findings of Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch, which support what Palestinians have been saying for decades?” says Shamiul Joarder, Head of Public Affairs at FOA.
“We will continue to call out MPs for their blatant double standards – Israel must be sanctioned for its breaking of international law, just like we are seeing with Russia.
A number of MPs simply haven’t responded to meeting requests from their constituents. This lack of engagement – particularly with the Muslim community – is a very real and growing problem. Constituents need to feel listened to in order for MPs to keep their support”.
The lobby is supported by Amos Trust, ASAPalestine, Campaign Against Arms Trade (CAAT), Israeli Committee Against House Demolitions (ICAHD), Jewish Voice for Labour, Jews for Justice for Palestinians, Muslim Association of Britain, Palestinian Forum in Britain and Stop the War Coalition.
It is also supported by Conservative Friends of Palestine, Liberal Democrat Friends of Palestine and a number of university student societies including at Birmingham, Brunel, City, Manchester, Reading, Sheffield Hallam, SOAS and Warwick.
Today’s lobby of Parliament is one of many steps in FOA’s continuous efforts to pressure Israel to comply with international law and respect Palestinian rights.
Shortlink for this post: https://daysofpalestine.ps/?p=18997
