MPs debating recognition of Palestine on 13th October, 2014. Photo from parliament.UK
New debate on Palestine due on December 1st
Palestine Briefing, Martin Linton
November 2014
MPs have another opportunity to speak on Palestine from 4.30 to 7.30 pm on Monday December 1st as a result of an e-petition on the Downing Street website which attracted 124,000 signatures – well ahead of the 100,000 threshold that automatically triggers a three-hour debate in the Commons’ smaller debating chamber, Westminster Hall.
Although it comes only seven weeks after the Recognise Palestine debate – in which 46 MPs took part – the number of MPs indicating that they would wish to speak in this debate is already so high that a switch to the main chamber (and consequent change in date) is possible.
MPs will be debating the motion ‘That this House has considered the e-petition relating to ending the conflict in Palestine’.
The e-petition talks in general terms about acting “in the name of humanity” to ensure the government is doing all it can to address the problems between Israel and Palestine.
The Government’s response – issued in July – supported Israel’s right to take “proportionate” action to defend itself but urged Israel to do everything it could to avoid civilian casualties.
The recent horrific killings in Jerusalem and the West Bank will rightly be condemned on all sides. However, it is important to remember that the total number of civilians killed in Jerusalem and the West Bank so far this year (as at November 22) is 14 Israelis and 46 Palestinians. When Gaza is included, it is 14 Israelis and 1,626 Palestinians.
Please write to your MP and encourage them to speak in the debate on any of the following subjects:
East Jerusalem Palestinians
East Jerusalem is not recognised as a part of Israel by the international community
Palestinians are 38% of Jerusalem’s population, pay over 40% of its municipal taxes, but only 11% of the Budget is spent on them
The Israeli authorities have demolished some 2,000 houses in East Jerusalem
They have expelled 14,000 Jerusalem Palestinians by revoking their ID cards
Alongside 296,000 Palestinians there are now 200,000 settlers in East Jerusalem
Recognition of Palestine
The House of Commons voted 274-12 on Oct 13th to recognise Palestine
Since then the Irish, Spanish, French and EU Parliaments have passed motions
Palestine is now recognised by 135 of the 193 member countries of the UN
Reconstruction of Gaza
The total cost of relief, recovery and reconstruction will be around $4 billion
The UK contributed £17 m in emergency aid and £20 m in recovery assistance in addition to annual aid of about £90 million
The UN has estimated that 18,000 housing units were destroyed
DFID is funding psychosocial care for 3,000 children and 1,500 mothers
Stopping settlement expansion
Since the Gaza war Israel has announced 2,600 new housing units in the illegal settlement of Givat Hamatos
a new settler city at Gvaot on 990 acres of Palestinian land near Bethlehem
in addition to 2.5 million Palestinians the West Bank now has 560,000 settlers
40% of the land area of the West Bank is now under the control of settlers
Ending trade with settlements
For years Britain has condemned settlements as ‘illegal’ but taken no action
Israeli settlements are kept in business by EU trade worth £198 million a year
Settlements expropriate Palestinian land, water and natural resources
Government business guidance says ‘we don’t encourage’ trade with settlements
Child prisoners
There were 182 Palestinian children in Israeli prisons in September 2014
Israel is the only country to systematically prosecute children in military courts
Children are routinely interrogated with no lawyer or parents present
They are often forced to sign confessions in a language they don’t understand
Demolition of Bedouin villages
7,000 Bedouins live in 46 villages in Area C of the West Bank.
Over 70% are refugees driven from former homes in southern Israel
Most of the families have pending demolition orders against their homes
Two-thirds report facing settler violence during the past three years
Settler violence – lack of prosecutions
The UN recorded 399 incidents of settler violence against Palestinians last year
Almost no cases were recorded of settlers being prosecuted
Video last week recorded Israeli soldiers protecting settlers throwing stones
Suspension of Israeli trade preference
One third of Israel’s trade is with the EU but only 0.7% of EU trade is with Israel
No duty is paid of most Israeli exports, saving Israel in the region of £750 million
The deal is on condition Israel respects “human rights and democratic values”
Release of Marwan Barghouthi and other political prisoners
Israel holds 5,439 Palestinians in jails inside Israel in defiance of international law
Many are in jail for non-violent protest and 468 are held without charge
Leading Fatah politician Marwan Barghouthi has been jailed since April 2002
He should be released in the same way that Gandhi, Nehru, Kenyatta and Mandela were released to negotiate their country’s independence.
The e-petition which MPs will debate on December 1st, 2014. It closed on October 7th with 124,490 signatures.
END THE CONFLICT IN PALESTINE
Responsible department: Foreign and Commonwealth Office
This petition aims to end the horrific ongoing conflict between Israel and Palestine. We want the government to take notice of this issue and move towards helping to solve the problem. As the UK government is part of the G8 it is vital that they work towards a peace treaty in the Middle East in order to help save lives and build a sustainable community.
As a human being it is your responsibility to take part in looking after world relations and this petition aims to ensure that the government is doing all it can to help address the problems between Israel and Palestine.
The conflict has now taken another life of a child who was burnt alive how can this be allowed to continue? How many more children have to die before something is done?
Forget culture, nationality of religion & please act in the name of humanity