Pledges: Palestine
#9 in my Pledges series
The Email:
I am writing as a voter in the constituency in which you are standing to ask you to fill in a short series of questions formulated by Palestine Solidarity Campaign (PSC), to allow members of the public to make an informed choice about how to vote in the election.
CLICK HERE TO ANSWER QUESTIONS ON PALESTINE.
This upcoming General Election has been called at a moment when Palestinians are confronting the darkest moment in their struggle for freedom and justice. Over 37,000 Palestinians in the Gaza Strip have been killed in what the International Court of Justice (ICJ) has accepted as a plausible case of genocide.
Israel’s current assault on Palestinians is built on the foundations of decades of violations of Palestinian rights by Israel in which successive British governments have been complicit. These realities have made justice for Palestinians a core electoral issue for many voters across Britain.
As a voter in the constituency in which you are standing, your position on Palestinian rights will inform how I cast my vote in the election.
Please answer a series of questions formulated by PSC so voters in this constituency can make an informed choice about how to cast their ballot.
CLICK HERE TO ANSWER QUESTIONS ON PALESTINE.
PSC will publish your answers in full on its website to allow voters to make an informed choice on 4 July.
My Thoughts
Thank you for sending me this. Why am I grateful? Because I am a member of PSC, PSC Scotland, and BDS. I attend weekly peace demonstrations about this, often as a speaker. We are a group of Christians, Jews, Pagans, Muslims, atheists, Hindus and many more, united in our call for justice and peace. What is happening in Israel and Gaza is nothing to do with religion, it is to do with Western imperialism, greed, and colonisation. That’s why I also support wonderful and heroic Jewish peace organisations such as Jewish Voice for Peace (member) and the Diaspora Alliance.
I have arranged and promoted film showings at local venues of Palestinian films such as 5 Broken Cameras, Slingshot Hip Hop, and Tomorrow's Freedom. I have also campaigned against adoption of the flawed and controversial IHRA definition of antisemitism which incorrectly classes legitimate criticism of the Israeli Government's policies as racism. There are better definitions to adopt, such as the Jerusalem Declaration, which does not include the overt political deflections of the problematic IHRA definition.
This is me speaking:
My website (sign up!) has many posts on the topic, which I’m sure you would agree with, such as:
In my “normal” life I am an author, and also speak about these topics on my author website. For example, there’s a video of me speaking here, and I also provide a platform to new authors, so you might be interested in the poem I shared last week. Here’s another short video (of me speaking out against right wing racism and antisemitism):
As such I have signed the pledge, please see below for the confirmation. I am pretty sure you would never hear someone from the Conservatives or Labour speaking up for Palestine as I do (and it is rare in other parties - I couldn’t spot anything about it on any of the Dwyfor Meirionnydd candidates’ websites and social media when I checked yesterday – challenge them on it at every opportunity!).
In our thousands, in our millions, we are all Palestinians. That’s why I designed (and wear) this T-shirt. Liberation movements are not about one group, they are for the benefit of everyone. I stand for the liberation of any people who are being oppressed. It’s why I have been involved in the movements against racism, sexism, ageism, inequality, war and apartheid; or for animal rights, gay rights, disabled rights and justice. See my statement.
This week saw women and children slaughtered by Israeli air strikes on UN schools in the Nuseirat refugee camp. Two weeks ago we all saw the scenes of horror as Israel bombed tents in Rafah: 18 month old Ahmed decapitated by a missile, 9 year old Omar filmed as he watched his father burn alive, left to cry in despair “my Dad has gone, where shall, I go?” In the West Bank armed Jewish settlers stormed Al-Aqsa Mosque and continued their reign of terror on local Palestinians. People of conscience have refused to be silent in the face of such actions and continue to take whatever positive actions they can until there is a lasting ceasefire and an end to these war crimes.
I hope for the 77 Jewish hostages to be released by Hamas, and also the 10,000 Palestinian hostages to be released by Israel. (And I suspect all of the Jewish hostages would have probably been released on day one if Israel had agreed to withdraw its illegal settlements and end its illegal occupation. Peace is possible, but not while Western nations keep supplying profitable weapons and encouraging violence.)
Lastly, here is a shortened version of an article I wrote which was published in 2023.
Democracy is the people.
Each week I’ve attended the peaceful demonstrations, calling for an end to the killing of Palestinians. I have been heartened to see so many people coming together, whose only concern is justice. Around me were Jews, Christians, atheists, Muslims, Pagans, and every other type of people who the current UK government would like to persuade us are enemies and full of hate, but in reality are humans united by despair at the way our government (and the US government) will go to any lengths to support and profit from bloodshed while civilians and children are buried under rubble.
The government tries to claim this is about hate but all I have experienced at demonstrations is respect and compassion. I have witnessed people standing up for what they believe in, and daring to request that most dangerous and controversial of things: peace. This is not about religion. And that’s why there are so many different voices, backgrounds and belief systems uniting, despite all the state opposition. Because normal people want cooperation, and peace to get on with their lives, and a feeling that there is justice in the world, and a connection with their neighbours.
Politicians want none of that, apparently. I haven’t seen any of our politicians coming to the demonstrations to speak to peace campaigners and get their perspective. They haven’t agreed to represent people who don’t support genocide (it isn’t a war when it's just one side endlessly pummelling civilian areas with hi-tech weaponry supplied by the UK and US). My MP has not even replied to my two letters about this. Israel has been in breach of international law and numerous UN resolutions for decades as it illegally occupied and expanded into Palestinian land, implementing a form of apartheid against Palestinians. Just as we’d hope we were protected if Russia invaded the UK, we should also hope that we’d be protected if any other country tried to occupy us as Israel has done with Palestine. The irony is that Conservatives and Labour actually support the illegally occupying force.
A government does not represent the people. In most cases, due to how voting works, more people voted against it than for it. Even in the 2019 UK election the Conservatives in power only got 13.9 million votes – the UK had more than 49 million registered voters (ONS stats), meaning more than 70% of UK citizens did NOT vote for them. It’s worth remembering this fact about a system that currently doesn’t seem very democratic at all. And so the Russian government’s actions in Ukraine this year have been reprehensible; but not all Russian people support that. The Israeli government has continued the illegal oppression began decades ago: but that government does not represent all Israelis (and certainly not all Jews). And the UK government does not represent all UK residents (and certainly not all Scots, as history has shown). It is legitimate to criticise governments when they act in evil and self-serving ways. To do so is our responsibility.
So when we have a government that ignores us and supports bloodshed, which demonises UK residents in language reversals worthy of George Orwell’s Ministry of Hate and doublethink Newspeak, I wonder what true democracy – one that respected life and freedom – would look like. Until then the only democracy you’ll find is from our individual actions. Who we vote for; where we spend our money; what letters we write; what we say; and how we support our brothers and sisters, near and far. This is not hate. It is mutual support in the face of oppressive power.
The confirmation email from the PSC:
Dear Karl Drinkwater,
Thank you for submitting your responses to 'Vote Palestine 2024: PSC questions for candidates and political parties'. Please see your answers below.
Palestine Solidarity Campaign (PSC) will now publish this information and make it available to voters. If anything is incorrect, please let me know as soon as possible: peter.leary@palestinecampaign.org
Best wishes,
Peter Leary
Deputy Director, PSC
Your response was as follows:
I’m a member of PSC already, and have attended weekly demonstrations for the last eight months, so I fully agree! I’m elected I will be a strong voice supporting an immediate ceasefire and the right of Palestinian people to return to their homes. The Green Party have been clear and consistent in standing up for human rights. We were the first party to call for a ceasefire. This clarity, sadly, is not something we have seen from the other major parties. Although there is likely to be a change of government, we can expect Labour to be very weak on this and Greens will be holding them to account. I support the full and consistent implementation of international law including the prosecution of those responsible for war crimes. The Green Party has called for a suspension of arms sales to Israel.
To publicly demand and actively work to ensure an immediate, complete, and permanent ceasefire in Gaza.
Response: Yes
To stand up for the rights and dignity of Palestinian refugees by supporting the immediate and full restoration of UK funding to UNRWA and ensuring it can fulfil its mandate.
Response: Yes
To support a comprehensive two-way embargo on the trade in weapons, components, and military technology with Israel to ensure that Britain and its citizens are not complicit in aiding and abetting crimes including genocide.
Response: Yes
To support moves by the ICJ and ICC to hold Israel to account for breaches of International Humanitarian Law and the outcomes of those processes including by insisting that Britain must uphold any arrest warrants issued by the ICC.
Response: Yes
To support the suspension of the 2030 Road Map for UK-Israel bilateral relations and negotiations towards an enhanced trade agreement in response to grave violations on international law, and the immediate imposition of a ban on trade with illegal Israeli settlements.
Response: Yes
To uphold the freedom to advocate for Palestinian rights through the democratic process and in academic, cultural and educational spaces including by defending the right to protest and opposing any attempt to prevent public bodies from divesting or choosing not to procure from companies shown to be complicit in Israel’s violations of international law.
Response: Yes
Promoted by Harriet King on behalf of the Green Party both at The Gate, Keppoch Street, Cardiff CF24 3JW.