The MPs, including Jeremy Corbyn, pointed to the latest report by the leading medical journal, The Lancet, which estimates that “even a conservative measure of the death toll in Gaza could exceed 186,000.”
Five newly-elected independent MPs have written to the UK government demanding amongst other actions; the immediate suspension of arms to Israel and to use its permanent UN Security Council member status to advocate for a sustainable ceasefire in the besieged Gaza Strip.
“There is no doubt that you will be aware that the situation on the ground in Gaza worsens moment by moment. The urgency for action cannot be understated,” the MPs said in a letter addressed to the Foreign Secretary, David Lammy.
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The MPs, including Jeremy Corbyn, pointed to the latest report by the leading medical journal, The Lancet, which estimates that “even a conservative measure of the death toll in Gaza could exceed 186,000.”
In addition, it said, independent UN experts have declared that famine has now spread throughout the Gaza Strip, with the recent deaths of more Palestinian children “due to hunger and malnutrition.”
ICC Case
Given these factors, and in light of the provisional measures issued by the International Court of Justice (ICJ), the MPs said it issued the letter to “remind” the government of its “obligations under international law.”
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They issued several demands including for the government to “Immediately suspend all provision of weapons and weapons systems to the Government of Israel”; “Immediately restore and increase funding to UNRWA”; as well as “Issue a public statement supporting the implementation of measures as advised” by the ICJ.”
The MPs also urged the government to “Drop any legal challenge over the ICC’s right to seek an arrest warrant against Benjamin Netanyahu for war crimes” and to “issue a public statement” to announce the cessation of the challenge to the ICC.
In May, the previous government under Conservative Party leader Rishi Sunak challenged the ICC on whether it had any jurisdiction to issue arrest warrants for top Israeli officials, including Benjamin Netanyahu.
The newly elected government has been given until July 26 by the ICC to decide whether to pursue the matter.
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‘Recognize Palestine’
The MPs also called on the UK to utilize its permanent member status on the UN Security Council to advocate for “an immediate and sustainable ceasefire.”
They also urged that the government advocate for the deployment of a UN peacekeeping force to Gaza, “upon reaching a ceasefire agreement.”
The government was also urged to suspend the 2030 Road Map for UK-Israel bilateral relations and negotiations, and “consider the possibility of imposing sanctions” as well as to “Recognise the State of Palestine with immediate effect.”
In addition to Corbyn, the letter was signed by Adnan Hussain, Ayoub Khan, Iqbal Mohamed and Shockat Adam.
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The five said they were elected by their respective constituents, in part, to “represent their concerns regarding the ongoing catastrophic situation in Gaza,” which they pointed out, has been described by the ICJ as a plausible genocide.
Staggering Death Toll
Currently on trial before the International Court of Justice for genocide against Palestinians, Israel has been waging a devastating war on Gaza since October 7.
According to Gaza’s Ministry of Health, 38,345 Palestinians have been killed, and 88,295 wounded. Moreover, at least 11,000 people are unaccounted for, presumed dead under the rubble of their homes throughout the Strip.
Israel says that 1,200 soldiers and civilians were killed during the Al-Aqsa Flood Operation on October 7. Israeli media published reports suggesting that many Israelis were killed on that day by ‘friendly fire’.
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Palestinian and international organizations say that the majority of those killed and wounded are women and children.
The Israeli war has resulted in an acute famine, mostly in northern Gaza, resulting in the death of many Palestinians, mostly children.
The Israeli aggression has also resulted in the forceful displacement of nearly two million people from all over the Gaza Strip, with the vast majority of the displaced forced into the densely crowded southern city of Rafah near the border with Egypt – in what has become Palestine’s largest mass exodus since the 1948 Nakba.
Later in the war, hundreds of thousands of Palestinians began moving from the south to central Gaza in a constant search for safety.
(The Palestine Chronicle)
