- Hundreds of thousands expected on third national March for Palestine
- They demand an immediate ceasefire and lifting of Israel’s illegal siege to allow in desperately needed supplies of humanitarian aid
- They demand the UK government stop its complicity in war crimes
- Speakers at rally to include MPs, trade union leaders and a wide range of civil society organisations
For the third Saturday in a row since Israel launched it’s deadly war on Gaza, hundreds of thousands of people are expected to march in central London in support of besieged Palestinians. Last Saturday 300 000 people joined the demonstration, the largest Palestinian solidarity demonstration, and one of the 10 largest political marches, ever in British history.
The strength of feeling will only have grown in this past week.
The Palestinian death toll in Israel’s merciless assault stands at 7,326 killed, with 66% of these being women and children. More than 1,600 Palestinians, including 900 children have been reported missing and are presumed to be trapped or dead under the rubble. 1.4 million people have been forcibly displaced. At least 45% of all housing units in the Gaza strip have been destroyed or damaged since the start of the attack. Israel has sealed the Gaza Strip completely and cut off all electricity, food, water and fuel from a population of which almost half are children. Oxfam have stated that starvation is being used as a weapon of war. Vital services, including health and sanitation are being pushed towards collapse. There is a huge humanitarian crisis unfolding in front of the world’s eyes.
These acts of collective punishment and indiscriminate killing are prohibited under international law. The endorsement of Israeli government actions by various national governments including the United Kingdom render them complicit in the actions of the Netanyahu administration and culpable in the outcome. We are calling on UK political leaders to heed the more than 70% of the British public who want a ceasefire.
Ben Jamal PSC Director said :
“Israel has waged a cruel and relentless war on Gaza that has taken thousands of innocent, civilian lives by design. It’s actions constitute war crimes and the support given to them by UK political leaders is shameful and appalling. This cannot continue. Like millions of people of conscience around the world we demand a ceasefire, the lifting of the siege, and immediate humanitarian help for the people of Gaza.
The root causes of the violence are Israel’s decades-long military occupation of Palestinian territories and its system of apartheid against Palestinians. We demand justice for the Palestinian people – their right to self-determination and to live in freedom, safety, and with full human rights.”