Thank you to everyone who has written to me about the terrible situation in Gaza. For those who have not had a chance to read it, I have previously written a statement on the situation which can be read here.
In relation specifically to votes on Gaza in the King’s Speech debate in parliament, I supported the Labour amendment. I think it is important that people are aware of the wording of the amendment, because there is an impression being given that it is not focused on the practical steps needed to achieve an end to the fighting as soon as possible.
Here is the text of the Labour amendment:
“This House wishes to see an end to the violence in Israel and Palestine; unequivocally condemn the horrific terrorist attack and murder of civilians by Hamas, call for the immediate release of all hostages and reaffirm Israel’s right to defend its citizens from terrorism; believe all human life is equal and that there has been too much suffering, including far too many deaths of innocent civilians and children, over the past month in Gaza; reaffirm the UK’s commitment to the rules-based international order, international humanitarian law and the jurisdiction of the ICC to address the conduct of all parties in Gaza and Hamas’s attacks in Israel; call on Israel to protect hospitals and lift the siege conditions allowing food, water, electricity, medicine and fuel into Gaza; request the Government continue to work with the international community to prevent a wider escalation of the conflict in the region, guarantee that people in Gaza who are forced to flee during this conflict can return to their homes and seek an end to the expansion of illegal settlements and settler violence in the West Bank; and, while acknowledging the daily humanitarian pauses to allow in aid and the movement of civilians, believe they must be longer to deliver humanitarian assistance on a scale that begins to meet the desperate needs of the people of Gaza, which is a necessary step to an enduring cessation of fighting as soon as possible and a credible, diplomatic and political process to deliver the lasting peace of a two-state solution.”
With so many innocent civilians and children lost over the past month in this terrible conflict, my support for this amendment stems from a fierce desire to achieve an enduring cessation of fighting as soon as possible
Kevin Brennan
MP for Cardiff West
* VIEW MORE RECENT LETTER HERE.