Time to tell Israel enough is enough - Support Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions

Here is my speech for the protest in Aberdeen on 7th April to condemn the shootings of unarmend Palestinians by the Israeli Defence Forces. 

That very day the news broke about the killing of photo journalist Yusef Murtaja despite wearing a PRESS vest. Yet our government still sells arms to Israel and refuses to condemn this outrage.

"So here we are again 

Gathered together in Aberdeen to condemn once again the horrific actions of the Israeli government against the people of Palestine

And sending a message of support and solidarity to the people of Gaza

Here’s what you need to know about the shooting of unarmed Palestinians protesting in Gaza

These are not clashes

Clashes are incidents that take place between equals

Clashes are what you see in Parliament, when Jeremy Corbyn takes on Theresa May or the SNP and Labour disagree on levels of taxation

What we are seeing in Gaza just now is a massacre – pure and simple

Soldiers armed with live ammunition are shooting unarmed Palestinians

And let’s make no mistake 

Most are engaged in peaceful protest – you can see that from the video footage on social media

But it doesn’t actually matter if some of those Palestinians are throwing stones or bits of burning rubber
 

Shooting and killing is a complete over-reaction

It is a tactic designed to terrorise

To put down and control an entire population to make them feel powerless

Men, women and children – trying to tell the world what is going on in Gaza

Killed and maimed by live ammunition

It’s terrorising and it’s terrorism – pure and simple

If this happened anywhere in the Western world there would be an outcry

Look at the independence election in Catalunya
 

Ordinary civilians prevented from voting by armed police

Not shot, but certainly terrorised

Certainly injured

The West was (rightly) appalled

Where is that same outrage when it comes to the people of Palestine?

Where is the political condemnation from Western countries?

Where is the media coverage of this barbarism

They were happy to spend a week berating Jeremy Corbyn for anti-semitism in the Labour Party

And for going to a Seder with the wrong kind of Jewish people

But Gaza? 

Brief reports of clashes then off the agenda

And it’s not just the killings of the past week

It’s the terrible blockade that has been going on in Gaza for 10 years

The collective punishment of the residents of Gaza by the State of Israel

Nearly 2 million people locked inside a land mass the size of Philadelphia the borders carefully controlled, the movement of goods and people severely restricted;

 As much as 72 percent of the population facing food insecurity; 41 percent unemployed; hospitals forced to rely on generators for life-saving equipment, while supplies of life-saving medicines dwindle to dangerous levels; and the risk that drinking water will run out.

What has been described as not just a humanitarian tragedy but a moral outrage

While the world looks on and does …. What?

Some brave people speak out – including Jewish citizens, some living in Israel which is brave indeed

The UN condemns and calls for action but a UN report last year highlighting that Israel’s oppression and domination of the Palestinian people is apartheid has been sidelined.

And the UN failed to pass a resolution condemning last week’s violence because it was vetoed by the US 

And the media silence  on the events in Gaza with a few honourable exceptions has been deafening 

So once again it’s left to us – ordinary people, trade unionists, citizens with compassion and conscience

To take actions to right these wrongs

Like we did to end apartheid in South Africa
 

When governments, including our own, refused to act

We need to step up to the mark to support the people in Gaza living under such oppression and misery

We need to tell Israel clearly that enough is enough

That we will not stand by whilst they continue their campaign of terror against the Palestinian people and especially those trapped in Gaza

Standing up and exercising their right to peaceful protest

A right that should be accorded to every citizen

We will lobby politicians, we will sign petitions, we will do all we can to highlight this injustice and we will promote the campaign of BDS at every opportunity

Hitting Israel where it hurts

In their pocket and their international standing

We will call them out for their callous oppression of the Palestinian people every chance that we get

And we will not allow the world to forget the people of Palestine, the children of Palestine, living and growing up under occupation, oppression and terrorism."