Green Party urges Manchester MPs to Vote for Palestine in Parliamentary Debate

2014 has been notable for turmoil in the Middle East.

The Syrian War continued to kill thousands of people [1], the Iraqi government continued to appear unstable [2] and the new common factor in both is the emergence of the Islam State (IS) group [3].

The IS murder of Western captives and large scale killings of peoples in Syria and Iraq have drawn Western nations back into a war likely to last years. [4]

The other great source of conflict in the year was in Gaza between Israel and Palestine [5]. Over the summer there were over 2000 casualties before a ceasefire was negotiated [6]. This ongoing battle between Israel and Palestine has been the longest, most intractable problem in the region.

But in Britain an initiative by MPs Grahame Morris and Manchester’s Gerald Kaufman may change how this country engages with that conflict [7]. They have sponsored a debate, taking place on Monday 13th October, ‘The Future of the Two State Solution in Israel and Palestine’, which could lead to the Britain recognising Palestine as a state.

Doing so would make Britain the second Western European country to do so after Sweden [8] and give momentum to peace talks resuming.

Manchester Green Party commends the MPs for initiating the debate and urges MPs John Leech and Lucy Powell to attend the debate and vote for Palestinian recognition. A link to the Vote for Palestine website can be found here.

Manchester Green Party Chair Deyika Nzeribe says “The West’s poor position is  arguably  the result of having foreign policies based on ‘interests’. After the lesson of the second Iraq War, 100 years after ‘The Great War’, Britain finds itself again at the brink. But in the recognition of Palestine, there is the potential for something new to happen.”

Kieran Turner-Dave, Green Party Prospective Parliamentary Candidate for Manchester Central, said

“We all want to see prolonged and sustainable peace in the Middle East. In order for international diplomacy to work, people of every community must give equal recognition to the two nations of Israel and Palestine. I would support an immediate arms embargo on both nations; and work with any organisation promoting peaceful democratic engagement to ensure a future in which children of Israel and Palestine are safe, and every citizen’s human rights are protected”.

Ends

Notes

1.    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Syrian_Civil_War

2.    http://www.hrw.org/news/2014/07/20/time-running-out-iraq-nation-spirals-chaos

3.    Vice News – The Islamic State http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AUjHb4C7b94

4.    http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/islamic-state-mps-will-back-air-strikes-but-fallon-warns-that-war-could-last-for-years-9756564.html

5.    http://www.vox.com/cards/israel-palestine/intro

6.    http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-28939350

7.    http://www.scriptonitedaily.com/2014/09/16/breaking-uk-parliament-will-vote-to-recognize-the-state-of-palestine/

Manchester Green Party Statement on Palestine http://www.manchestergreenparty.org.uk/news/2014/09/08/2014-09-08-israel-palestine/

Read Full Article >>

Manchester City Council - The Apartheid Moment 2014

In 1994, the elections held in South Africa ended apartheid and elected Nelson Mandela as President.

In England, Manchester City Council and its councillors played a prominent role in the anti-apartheid movement. They enacted sports and cultural boycotts, they actively divested any South Africa related assets and investments.

When it came, Manchester, along with the rest of the world, celebrated the end of apartheid.

20 years later, in England 100s of thousands of people have been moved to march and protest. Shocking scenes of death and injury on television over the past few months have showed the world the effect of the Israeli army’s bombing of Palestine. In this latest spike in violence, the mainly Palestinian victims have numbered over 2000 dead and 10,000 injured. The vast majority of these have been civilian.

After a short ceasefire, the bombing of Palestine seems to have resumed.

When not being bombed, Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza live, in essence, under military occupation. Those Palestinians living in Israel itself live under an apartheid-like regime.

Amnesty International has long recorded the human rights violations being committed as part of their call for the peace and adherence to international law.

Earlier this year, legendary anti-apartheid campaigner and Nobel Prize winner Archbishop Desmond Tutu spoke to this.

"I have witnessed the systemic humiliation of Palestinian men, women and children by members of the Israeli security forces," he said in a statement. "Their humiliation is familiar to all black South Africans who were corralled and harassed and insulted and assaulted by the security forces of the apartheid government."

A long-time supporter of the BDS (Boycott Divestment Sanctions) campaign in support of Palestine, he also said

“In South Africa, we could not have achieved our freedom and just peace without the help of people around the world, who through the use of non-violent means, such as boycotts and divestment, encouraged their governments and other corporate actors to reverse decades-long support for the Apartheid regime” and

“To those who wrongly allege unfairness or harm done to them by this call for divestment, I suggest, with humility, that the harm suffered from being confronted with opinions that challenge one's own pales in comparison to the harm done by living a life under occupation and daily denial of basic rights and dignity”.

For Manchester City Council, though it has supported calls for peace – organising humanitarian aid for Gaza, it has also set itself against the pro-Palestine campaigners – working with police to suppress demonstrations.

In Manchester, the campaign for Palestine has been powerful and without rancour against the oppression and violence in Israel.

This is a moment of decision for the City Council and its individual Councillors.

This is its ‘Apartheid moment'.

Again, Desmond Tutu speaking to Haaretz, ''Those who turn a blind eye to injustice actually perpetuate injustice. If you are neutral in situations of injustice, you have chosen the side of the oppressor".

Manchester City Council should

• Divest itself of any assets, investments and relations that directly or indirectly supports the Israeli government
• Support peaceful action in the city in the campaign for Palestine

Councillors should take a lead and say if they are in support of the campaign for Palestine.

Its easy to look back misty-eyed at the anti-apartheid campaign in South Africa. 

With so many dead and injured in Palestine, now is the time to act.

Read Full Article >>

Manchester Green Party Public Meeting Thursday August 14th - Israel and Palestine: What is to be done?

In the 6 weeks since the beginning of July, very nearly 2000 Palestinians have died in the Israeli assault on Gaza.

Though the deaths of three innocent Israeli teenagers, initially blamed on Hamas, was reported as the tipping point for the latest spike in violence, this cycle has been going on for years.

In late 2008/ early 2009, approximately 1500 Palestinians were killed in an Israeli action and in November 2010, 170 died.

The latest bombardment has led to pressure on Israel for a permanent ceasefire and although short cessations in the fighting has occurred, the death toll still rises, the images of the dead and injured both heart-breaking and sickening.

Whats to be done?

There have been widespread calls for an arms embargo, sanctions, a boycott of goods, investigations into war crimes.

There have been protests, marches and vigils all over the world, including Israel.

What should happen next?

What should be the response of politicians in England?

What is the Green Parties response?

We will be discussing these areas on Thursday.

Speaking will be

Annie Neligan – who has been to the West Bank several times speaking on her experience there, Green Party policy and putting that policy into practice.

Dr Anat Greenstein is an Israeli woman living in Manchester. She has been involved in feminist and anti-militarist activism in Israel for more than 20 years and will be speaking on the anti-war war movement and campaign against Zionism within Israel.

Mohammed Ghalayini from Gaza and part of the Manchester Palestine Action (MPA) which is working towards building a sustainable boycott, Divestment and Sanctions Movement in Manchester.

When: Thursday August 14th, 7pm

Where: Friends Meeting House, 6 Mount Street, M2 5NS

Read Full Article >>