Wednesday 21st February 2024 - Tumblr Posts
URGENT: Please email your MPs using the above link, you just need your name, address and postcode. Pressure the UK to vote for a Ceasefire. If you are not a British citizen please share this.
"On Wednesday 21st February, parliament will vote on whether or not to call for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza. There is no acceptable excuse for MPs to do anything but vote in favour of this. The ongoing slaughter in Gaza is insufferable. As your constituent, I remind you that we are in an election year - and that the public are closely monitoring how MPs will vote on Wednesday. This is an issue close to the heart of the electorate, and I urge you and your colleagues to do everything in your power to end Israel's massacre of Palestinians. Well over 28,000 Palestinians have now been killed - almost half of them children. The entire population is living with crisis-level hunger. Over 70% of buildings and infrastructure has been destroyed. The International Court of Justice has ruled there's a plausible case that Israel is committing a genocide against Palestinians, and has ordered legally binding provisional measures to stop the killing and ensure humanitarian assistance is provided. Third states - such as the UK - have a legal obligation to uphold these orders. This can only be achieved by supporting an immediate and permanent ceasefire now, which I ask you to vote for on Wednesday. Shamefully, the position of the UK has instead been to continue supplying Israel with weapons - in clear contravention of its own Strategic Export Licensing Criteria given that the highest court in the world has ruled there's plausible evidence Israel is committing genocide. The government has also chosen to suspend funding to UNRWA, the principle international agency providing humanitarian aid and upholding the rights of Palestinian refugees. This couldn't be more urgent. I ask you to take immediate action by:
Voting for an immediate ceasefire on Wednesday 21st February, and against any amendments that seek to water down this urgent demand.
Calling on the government to suspend all arms sales to Israel, and begin steps to end the bilateral arms trade.
Demanding the government reinstates funding to UNRWA, and increases UK aid to Gaza.
I would appreciate a response on how you will vote on Wednesday."
Emergency Lobby of Parliament
Related to my last post, if you can please go and lobby at Parliament anytime between 11:30am-4pm on Wednesday 21st February 2024 then please enter your postcode at this link to register to join the lobby and receive further instructions to guide you through the process of lobbying. Anyone can go and pressure their MP to vote for a Ceasefire, regardless of political expertise.
If you are not a British citizen or cannot attend please reblog this post anyway.
On Wednesday 21st February 2024 the motion to call for a ceasefire was tabled and therefore never voted on by parliament. If you are a British citizen then please follow the link to email your MP about how wrong this is (just your name, email and postcode required) and if you are not then please reblog this post.
"I am one of your constituents, and am writing to ask you to press the government to support an immediate ceasefire and other measures to protect Palestinians who have so far survived Israel’s brutal attacks on the Gaza Strip, which have so far killed more than 29,000.
Over 100 Palestinians were killed across the Gaza Strip from Israeli shelling on the night of Wednesday 21 February – the majority of them being women and children. Whilst the UK parliament descended into shameful chaos over a vote that never came to be, Israel was dropping bombs on Rafah ahead of a looming ground offensive.
During the day on 21st February, thousands of constituents came to exercise their democratic right and peacefully lobby MPs in parliament. The unprecedented number of people queuing in the rain for hours to see their MP had a simple message to deliver: Support an unambiguous call for an immediate ceasefire now, as articulated in a motion tabled by the SNP.
The subsequent disgraceful display within parliament on 21st February reflects the UK’s overall response to Israel’s atrocities in Gaza. The International Court of Justice (ICJ) has handed down an interim ruling affirming there is plausible evidence Israel is committing genocidal acts against the Palestinian people, yet our government is still selling weapons to Israel and has suspended funding to UNRWA, the primary agency supporting the needs of Palestinian refugees, including more than 1.5 million in Gaza.
The UK has an obligation to comply with the ICJ ordered provisional measures. This means taking action to end Israel’s war crimes and ensure humanitarian aid can reach Gaza. It is urgent for MPs to use their position to:
Call for a complete and immediate ceasefire in Gaza;
Press the UK government to immediately suspend all arms sales to Israel;
Demand the UK meets its obligations in relation to the ICJ’s provisional measures, including ensuring humanitarian aid reaches Gaza by reinstating funding to UNRWA.
Please show your commitment to these fundamental principles by signing EDM 377 ‘International Court of Justice Ruling on Gaza and the UK’s duties under the Genocide Convention’.
In recent days, some politicians and others in the media have suggested that for constituents to lobby their MP in relation to this important issue, in person or by email, constitutes improper behaviour or even harassment. I reject any such characterisation and I hope that you do too."