Hague Must Visit Gaza And Push Israel To End The Siege
By Palestine Solidarity Campaign
02 November, 2010
Countercurrents.org
The Palestine Solidarity Campaign (PSC) is calling on William Hague to use his visit to Israel this week to push for an immediate end to Israel’s illegal siege on Gaza.
David Cameron has called Gaza ‘an open air prison camp’, and PSC believes that Mr Hague should follow through on his Prime Minister’s comments in his meetings with Israeli ministers.
PSC, the largest solidarity movement in the UK for the Palestinian people, also calls on Mr Hague to visit Gaza while he is in the Middle East, and meet with the democratically-elected government in Gaza.
Sarah Colborne, PSC director of campaigns and operations, said: 'This visit is the perfect opportunity for Mr Hague to show his committment to securing a just peace in the region.
‘It is a peace that cannot come about until Israel complies with international law, and we hope that Mr Hague recognises this and puts it at the top of his agenda when meeting Israeli ministers.’
Ms Colborne added: ‘Peace cannot be achieved by talking to Israel in isolation. The government of Gaza was elected in fair and democratic elections in 2006. If Mr Hague is serious about his government’s stated commitment to peace and democracy in the Middle East, then he should be visiting Gaza and talking to its elected representatives. We call on him to urgently insert such a visit into his itinerary.’
Israel has put universal jurisdiction and boycott at the top of its agenda for Mr Hague's visit, intending to press him to overturn the law on the former and denounce the latter when applied to Israel.
Ms Colborne said: ‘It is incredible that Israel thinks it has a right to insist that Britain changes its law in order to allow those responsible for war crimes to freely travel to London. And rather than trying to twist the arms of other governments to squeeze out condemnations of a peaceful, non-violent international movement for peace and justice – the movement for boycott, divestment and sanctions on Israel – Israel should understand why this movement is growing.
‘Israel’s apartheid policies, its illegal siege on Gaza, its occupation of the West Bank and Gaza, and its constant violations of Palestinian human rights are building this movement. If it really wants to stop a boycott, and stop increasing the number of Israelis who face arrest warrants abroad for war crimes, the Israeli government should start abiding by international law and stop committing war crimes.’
Media contact:
Sarah Colborne, PSC director of campaigns and operations.
T: 020 7700 6192
