Dear Owen
Thank you for writing to me about the horrific situation in Israel and Gaza.
We have all seen footage and heard reports of appalling human suffering in the past week which I will certainly never forget. Innocent men, women, and children dead, injured, tortured and taken hostage. I know that there are families in Cardiff Central who have been directly affected by what is happening and have lost family members. I mourn with them, and I also mourn the loss of every single civilian life.
I absolutely condemn Hamas’s appalling and ongoing attacks on Israel. There can never be a justification for terrorism. Hamas bears responsibility for this crisis. Both Palestinians and Israelis are suffering terribly because of Hamas’s actions which have set back the cause of peace.
I fully support Israel’s right to defend itself, rescue hostages and protect its civilians. Indeed, it has a duty to do so. Hamas must release its hostages immediately.
It is essential that no-one conflates Hamas with the Palestinian people. Hamas terrorists are not the same as the Palestinian people and do not represent their absolute and legitimate right to dignity, freedom, justice, and self-determination. Hamas have no interest in Palestinian rights and no interest in the security of the people in Gaza. They unleash terror and then hide amongst them – women and children used as human shields; hostages held, including children, who must be released.
And as Labour has said from the beginning of this terrible situation, all leaders must abide by international law.
That means civilians must not be targeted, there must be humanitarian access to Gaza, and there must be access to supplies of food, water, electricity, fuel and medicines. No fuel means hospitals cannot function, and we know that this means incubators will be unable to operate, and babies will die along with many other innocent injured civilians. I am extremely concerned about the humanitarian situation on the ground in Gaza. There is an acute humanitarian crisis unfolding before our eyes. Given the evacuation has started, there must be safe corridors within Gaza, as the EU and US have said. Labour is speaking daily to the UN, NGOs and the UK government about how civilians in Gaza can and must be protected.
We have pressed the government to set out a clear plan to ensure the safe return of British nationals in Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territories who want to return. We welcome that rescue flights are starting to be chartered and will work with the government on this.
Here in Cardiff Central and more widely across the UK, we cannot allow these tragic events to divide our communities. There has been a rise in both antisemitic incidents and Islamophobia threats, abuse and assaults in parts of the UK in recent days.
We denounce hate crime in the strongest terms. We are in touch with the police, the Community Security Trust and Tell Mama, who are coordinating the response to such threats. We expect to see a robust response to all incidents of hate associated with the conflict and call on the UK government to support these groups and to play their part in preventing an escalation of tensions.
On Monday, Keir Starmer said the following in a statement in the House of Commons. I agree with every word. “I do not want Britain to be a place where Jewish schools are closed, where Jewish children stay at home out of fear and where Jewish families feel compelled to hide their identity. I do not want Britain to be a place where British Muslims feel they have to apologise for the actions of people who do not act in their name. We cannot allow community cohesion in our country to be destroyed. We all bear a responsibility to do all we can to stamp out hate, and we fully support police action to provide extra assistance for our communities.”
At Questions to the Prime Minister on Wednesday, Keir Starmer spoke on behalf of all Labour Party Members of Parliament in his comments to the Prime Minister. You can read those comments here https://hansard.parliament.uk/Commons/2023-10-18/debates/368230C3-9907-44CA-BB0D-47217057270F/Engagements
Jo
Jo Stevens MP
Member of Parliament for Cardiff Central
Shadow Secretary of State for Wales
The email I sent her, to which she is responding, read thus:
Monday 16 October 2023
Dear Jo Stevens,
As my constituency representative at Westminster I call on you to act
urgently to stop an unfolding humanitarian catastrophe.
Whatever your personal or political views, you are first and foremost a
human being who I hope would do everything in their power to prevent
needless suffering and death.
Right now the people in Gaza are being put through a genocide and we
are all watching in real time.
Israel’s ‘total siege’ sees them denied the very basics of human life –
food, water, fuel and medical aid – as their homes are destroyed by
non-stop bombing campaigns.
The suffering is unimaginable – after several nights of intensive
bombing that has seen schools, mosques and UN offices hit, whole
neighbourhoods reduced to rubble - the deaths and injuries have mounted
in the hospitals to levels one doctor there described as 'a
slaughterhouse’.
Doctors in Gaza are calling for immediate ceasefire and a humanitarian
corridor to prevent a catastrophe for all 2 million residents of Gaza –
a form of collective punishment and a war crime.
These are civilians – over half the population of Gaza are children;
60% of the casualties are young people or the elderly. 260,000 are now
displaced according to the UN, already over 1200 are dead.
The area has now lost its only working power plant as it has run out
of fuel, plunging the country into darkness, cutting off vital life
support systems, shutting down the water treatment works and
endangering many more innocent lives. As a humanitarian I beg you to
act on my behalf, your constituent, and amplify my voice to urge the
government to do everything it can to stop this disaster.
I do not want this on my conscience – do you?
Sincerely,
Owen Blacker
01edbde43822135f2286/0941689a274e8693f4a5
(Signed with an electronic signature in accordance with section 7(3) of
the Electronic Communications Act 2000.)