PNN – Hundreds of supporters of Palestine in England gathered in front of the British Parliament and while condemning the barbaric crimes committed by the Zionist regime in Gaza, demanded an arms embargo on this regime.
According to the report of Pakistan News Network, the participants from different walks of life and nationalities demanded an end to the war in Gaza and immediate relief to the residents of this area. While waving the Palestinian flag, they chanted slogans about seeking justice for the Palestinian people and the end of the apartheid system. Those present also carried signs that read, “Don’t arm Israel,” “Remove the blockade of Gaza,” and “Free Palestine.”
In this protest movement, a number of MPs, civil and human rights activists expressed their words condemning the crimes of the Zionist regime in Gaza, criticizing London’s support for this regime and the necessity of boycotting the Israeli regime.
John McDonnell, the former Minister of Finance in the British Shadow Cabinet (Labor Party), said: We asked the government what measures you have taken to boycott Israeli settlers. They have replied that we have imposed sanctions. We asked how many Israeli settlers you have sanctioned during this period, and they answered two.
He added: While tens of thousands of Israeli settlers have occupied the West Bank, the British government has identified only two people who deserve sanctions, while we are not aware of the quality of sanctions.
McDonnell clarified: What is happening in the West Bank and Gaza is a war crime and we declare solidarity with the Palestinian people. At the same time, we tell Benjamin Netanyahu and his cabinet that we hold him responsible for killing the Palestinian people in the West Bank and Gaza.
This English lawmaker added: I hope to see one day when Netanyahu and his cabinet will be tried as war criminals in The Hague.
His statements were met with applause from the audience.
Later, Andy Bel Ribeiro, a member of the British House of Commons, criticized London’s support for the Zionist regime and said: Our government not only does not condemn Israel’s crimes, but also sells weapons to this regime. By doing this, we are complicit in Israel’s war crimes.
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Accordingly, he demanded to stop the sale of arms to the Zionist regime and added: We ask the government not to make our country a partner in this terrible war.
Other speakers present in this rally also emphasized the need to continue the pressure for the arms embargo of the Zionist regime and the end of the Gaza war.
The pressure against the British government for an arms embargo on the Zionist regime is increasing, especially after the death of three aid workers from this country in an Israeli airstrike on the convoy of an international human rights organization in Gaza.
The findings of a survey conducted in England show that most of the people of this country want to stop selling arms to the Zionist regime.
Representatives of pro-Palestinian groups delivered a petition to the British Prime Minister’s office in which they demanded an arms embargo on the Zionist regime. Dozens of British legislators made such a request two weeks ago in two separate letters to David Cameron, the foreign minister of this country.
Also, the National Party of Scotland, the Liberal Democrats, and the former British National Security Advisor are among the parties and elements that have demanded the immediate suspension of arms sales licenses to Israel.
The Labor Party, as the second most populous party in England, also says that if the government lawyers believe that the Israeli regime has violated international laws, the sale of weapons to this regime should be stopped.
On the other hand, the international aid organization Oxfam recently warned in an open letter addressed to the ministers of trade and foreign affairs of the UK, referring to the high number of martyrs of the Gaza war, that the London government is complicit in this humanitarian disaster by supporting the Zionist regime with weapons.
The letter states: An immediate, unconditional and permanent ceasefire is vital to stop the death and destruction. Ending arms sales is an important step in this direction. A ceasefire is the only meaningful way to deliver aid and the safest way to evict the hostages (Israeli prisoners).
Accordingly, the authors wrote: We ask you to immediately suspend the licenses for the sale and export of arms to (the regime) Israel and request an immediate and permanent ceasefire.
The set of these developments shows that the issue of Israel’s arms embargo has become a new level of concern in England, and if the Gaza war continues, the London government is facing difficult choices, especially on the eve of the national elections.