Due to the lack of power Palestinian medics at the Indonesian
hospital in Gaza perform surgery by the light of mobile phones [photo
credit: X]
Ending the slaughter, bringing the hostages home
In response to this man-made catastrophe unfolding in Gaza, the
Balfour Project joins the United Nations and many humanitarian
organisations in demanding an immediate ceasefire. All human life is
equally sacred. A ceasefire will ensure that vital aid can reach all
civilians in need throughout the Gaza Strip, as international law
demands. It will also allow time for success in negotiations for the
release of all the Israeli and foreign hostages kidnapped by Hamas.
The treaties and conventions which Britain has signed oblige our
Government to exert its influence with Israel, the US and the other
permanent UN Security Council members to insist on a cessation in
hostilities accompanied by a huge aid operation – not the 4-hour
so-called “humanitarian pauses” which force people from one danger area
to another while preventing humanitarian aid from reaching all areas
that need it. The British Government should join the UN
Secretary-General, the President of France and others in pressing for it
now.
A way forward
The Balfour Project calls on our Government now to work with Israel,
the PLO, the US, the UN Secretary-General and other partners, especially
Israel’s Arab neighbours and the Gulf states, for the day this war
ends. Meeting this huge challenge requires resources and years of
sustained political commitment.
The first, most urgent task is to address Palestinian humanitarian
needs, with UNRWA to the fore. The second is to create a Marshall Plan
to rebuild shattered homes, schools, hospitals and livelihoods in Gaza
and enable those displaced to return. Israel must play its part in this.
After all the damage done, it cannot wash its hands of the
consequences. No more blockade; no more siege. Mutual security, not
military occupation.
A temporary international administration is needed in Gaza, under a
joint UN Security Council and Arab League mandate, to begin the
rebuilding and to support a new international initiative for a political
process to bring hope of a better future for all: a future of equality.
That initiative must be rooted in international law, reuniting Gaza
with the rest of the Occupied Palestinian Territory.
It is for Palestinians to decide who should lead them in exercising
their right to self-determination, without interference. A key principle
must be the affirmation that Palestinians and Israelis have equal
rights to self-determination.
Britain’s deeds and misdeeds over decades in the region give our
Government the responsibility to lead work to end the occupation by
negotiation on the basis of international law, freeing Palestinians to
exercise their right to self-determination alongside Israelis. The first
step along that road is for the British Government to show equal
respect for both peoples. It recognised Israel in 1950. It should
recognise Palestine in 2023 and encourage others to do so. Twelve years
ago, Foreign Secretary William Hague said “We reserve the right to
recognise the state of Palestine at a time of our choosing, and when it
will best serve the cause of peace”. That time has come.
The Balfour Project
14 November 2023