House of Commons - International Development

Select Committee on International Development Written Evidence

Memorandum submitted by the Palestine Solidarity Campaign

SUMMARY

The Palestine Solidarity Campaign welcomes this Inquiry by the International Development Committee into the humanitarian and development situation in the Occupied Palestinian Territories. We feel that it is particularly timely given the continued threats of further military invasion in Gaza, with the prospect of thousands more deaths.

The imposition of sanctions and the blockade upon the population of Gaza is unleashing a humanitarian catastrophe and we urge the British government to immediately and urgently work to end this.

We also urge the government to respect Palestinian democracy and to support work towards a new unity government which would reflect the wishes of the Palestinian people, as demonstrated in the Palestinian parliamentary elections.

We strongly believe that the government must do all in its power to prevent any further escalation and that it is the responsibility of the government to work actively for the implementation of international law, including an end to Israeli occupation, and a just peace for the Palestinians. This is the only hope for peace and an end to the increasing death toll.

As a result of lobbying MPs: observing the increasingly large numbers of cross party MPs signing Early Day Motions, asking parliamentary questions, and attending meetings; as well as, very crucially, recent reports by Committees such as the International Development and Foreign Affairs Committees, it is clear that the policy of the British government is increasingly out of step with parliamentary opinion on this question.

In January 2008, a delegation of British trade unionists was organised by the Palestine Solidarity Campaign, including two members of the TUC General Council. The delegation reported that in their view: "the occupation by the Government of Israel of the West Bank (including East Jerusalem) and the Gaza Strip is the most urgent concern of the Palestinian people and that every aspect of personal, social and economic well-being is defined and determined by the occupation".

They emphasised that: "It became evident that ending the occupation is the first essential to the successful resolution of the most critical problems facing Palestinian workers and their families".[171]

As UNRWA Commissioner-General Karen Koning Abu Zayd has stated: "Gaza is on the threshold of becoming the first territory to be intentionally reduced to a state of abject destitution, with the knowledge, acquiescence and—some would say—encouragement of the international community. An international community that professes to uphold the inherent dignity of every human being must not allow this to happen".

"Across this tiny territory, 25 miles long and no more than 6 miles wide, a deep darkness descended at 8.00 pm on 21 January, as the lights went out for each of its 1.5 million Palestinian residents. A new hallmark of Palestinian suffering had been reached".[172]

THE HUMANITARIAN SITUATION IN GAZA, INCLUDING ACCESS TO FUEL, FOOD AND HEALTH SERVICES

1. We anticipate that the Palestinian, and international organisations working on the ground in Gaza, will provide the Committee with detailed information on the humanitarian situation. However we would ask the committee to take particular note of the personal tragedies being perpetrated, such as the horrific death toll inflicted in Gaza by Israeli air strikes and snipers from 27 February to 3 March, which according to the Palestinian National Initiative, killed more than 120 Palestinians.

2. More than one in four of those killed in this period were children, with Palestinian and international sources confirming that 31 children had been killed, and investigations continue into 13 more reported child fatalities. Children killed included a 20-day-old baby, a 5-month-old baby, and a group of children playing football. Four children were shot dead by Israeli snipers, three of them inside their house.

3. We concur with Dr. Mustafa Barghouthi, Palestinian Legislative Council member and previous Information Minister, when he says that "the Israeli siege on Gaza—a blatant and extreme collective punishment—must be lifted and individual States, especially European Union member States should consider prosecuting Israeli individuals who have taken part in these crimes through their universal jurisdiction competence under international law".[173]

4. We would like to bring the Committee's attention to the regular reports from the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA). Their report covering the week beginning 27 February, for example, stated that "Essential services, including water and sanitation, are close to breakdown. Because of the combined lack of electricity, fuel, spare parts and inability to upgrade networks, the Gaza Coastal Municipality Water Utility is forced to continue dumping 20 million litres of raw sewage daily and 40 million litres of partially treated water into the sea".[174]

5. The Israeli authorities, since the beginning of March 2008, allowed only 100,000 litres of benzene per day to enter Gaza. This is half the quantity permitted to enter the Strip per day previously (ie before March). Only 1,297,600 litres of diesel have been allowed into Gaza since 1 March 2008, despite the need for on average 400,000 litres of diesel daily; making the necessary quantity of fuel until today 4,400,000 litres.

6. The press release from John Holmes, United Nations Under-Secretary General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator, following his five-day visit to the region, was also stark. He pointed out the "increasing dependence on international aid, which has risen very sharply over the last eight months. Seventy-three percent of the population relies on food aid, and concerns are mounting about nutrition, particularly among children. The quality and quantity of water are declining, with some areas having water only for a few hours a day or even a week". He also pointed to the cumulative effect of the overall deterioration of living conditions in Gaza, calling them an affront to the dignity of the people there.[175]

7. In a new development, the siege threatens the fishing industry, which employs 5,000 Palestinians in Gaza. Three thousand of those are fishermen. The severe fuel cuts by the Israeli authorities affect their work directly. Most of the fishing boats in Gaza have small engines running only on benzene, whilst the larger fishing boats, of which there are 16 in Gaza, run on diesel. Each of these boats consumes 700 litres of diesel per day. This drives the consumption of all boats to 11,200 litres every day. In addition, fishermen use cooking gas to light areas of the sea, which attract the fish.

8. The fuel reductions by the Israeli authorities produced a serious situation for Gaza. Fishing in the Gaza Strip is seasonal and is allowed to take place only in shallow waters 3-5 nautical miles off-coast. Additionally, Gaza lacks a fish farm industry, and so fishermen wait anxiously for the three-month sardine fishing season, which begins in April.

PROGRESS IN THE MIDDLE EAST PEACE PROCESS SINCE ANNAPOLIS AND THE PARIS DONOR CONFERENCE

9. Progress for peace in the region has meant little more than words since Annapolis and the Paris donor conference. All of the factors outlined in this document clearly note the obstacles that continue to be put in the way of progress. Preconditions being forced upon the Palestinians alone will only serve to exacerbate the situation.

10. As John Holmes also pointed out in his press release: "In the West Bank, severe restrictions on the movement of people and goods, from the combination of the Barrier, continuing expansion of settlements and closures, have seriously affected people's daily lives, and fragmented communities as well as impeded economic activity". He called for the lifting of the closures regime in ways which would not jeopardise Israel's legitimate security concerns.

11. Mr Holmes concluded that it was hard to see the deteriorating situation in both Gaza and the West Bank, and the reinforced despair and sense of humiliation of the Palestinians, as a good basis for the rapid peace settlement so badly needed. He called for the current gulf between the reality on the ground and the aims of the negotiations to be bridged urgently.

12. The British government must do more to end the Israeli government's flagrant abuses of international law. This must include, as a fundamental demand, the government doing all in its power to ensure Israel ends its settlement building in the West Bank and East Jerusalem, the latest being the authorised construction by Israel of 750 housing units in Givat Ze'ev. The increase of checkpoints by Israel inside the West Bank is also actively impeding any progress towards peace.

POLITICAL DEVELOPMENTS IN THE OPTS SINCE JUNE 2007

13. The closure of Gaza by Israel has created a humanitarian disaster on a shocking scale. particularly in the nine months since June 2007. The collective punishment endured by the population of Gaza must be immediately brought to an end. Israel, together with the EU, and governments including our own, must immediately lift the siege of Gaza.

14. Talking to elected members of the Palestinian Authority, of all parties, is the only way to make progress. There are growing calls, including from inside Israel, and from members of the British parliament, to recognise the results of the democratically held Palestinian election, and talk to Hamas. A survey published in the Israeli Ha'aretz newspaper on 27 February 2008 showed that 64% of Israelis felt the government should hold peace talks with Hamas. Only 28% of Israelis rejected the idea of talks.

15. According to Israeli peace activist Michael Warshawski, visiting parliament this week, the economic prosperity and security experienced by Israeli citizens is one of the main obstacles to the Israeli public's acquiescence to its government's ruthless annexation of Palestine. The consequence of this is that policies of aggression are the only tools that the Israeli government is prepared to consider. Israel's persistence with its policy of closures, the land-grabbing route of the wall, the violent opposition to non violent demonstrations, the expansion of settlements, the imprisonment of Palestinian MPs, the targeted assassinations as well as the unchecked civilian death toll/fallout of Israeli attacks, and the refusal to talk to Hamas, combine to lead nowhere, replacing any substantive political steps.

16. The British Government repeatedly states that Israel is a democracy, yet the above, and in particular, the abduction and continued imprisonment of elected Palestinian parliamentarians by Israel runs counter to democratic principles and must immediately be brought to an end.

THE ROLE OF THE MIDDLE EAST QUARTET

17. The Palestine Solidarity Campaign is concerned that the US is determining policy, with the Quartet either unable or unwilling to decisively act. The existence of the Quartet in no way removes the obligation of the British government to act to hold the Israeli government accountable for its violations of humanitarian law, and to use its best endeavours for peace and justice. Despite the policies of other countries, Britain's role should not be underestimated, as Britain will historically be held accountable.

THE RESPONSE OF THE UK GOVERNMENT TO THE CHANGING SITUATION, AND IN PARTICULAR THE CONTRIBUTION OF THE DEPARTMENT FOR INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT

18. We welcomed the recommendation from the International Development Committee's previous report to address the issue of the EU-Israel Association Trade Agreement. As Israel is failing to abide by the human rights terms of that agreement, we believe that Britain should argue for the Agreement to be suspended. Given the further deterioration in Israel's human rights record, we urge the Department to look at what can be done to press the Government on this.

19. The Palestine Solidarity Campaign is increasingly concerned at the response of the British government to the changing situation, and urges the government to reflect on its transparent and partisan approach to the situation which appears to regard Palestinian lives as less valuable than Israeli lives. The lack of neutrality that permeates the government's approach is no longer acceptable, and both its Members and constituents are becoming more and more aware of this as they watch the situation in the region deteriorating by the minute.

20. The government's response should reflect the fact that the underlying issue is of a brutal and illegal occupation by Israel, and responses by the Palestinians inevitably flow from this. We refer here to two statements made by the Foreign Office over the last few days.

21. Following the killing of students in Jerusalem, Foreign Secretary David Miliband said on 6 March: "The reports tonight of killings at a seminary in Jerusalem are shocking. They add to the toll of civilian life lost in recent days. They are an arrow aimed at the heart of the Peace Process so recently revived. They should and will be deplored by all decent people everywhere". He continued: "I have tonight spoken to the Israeli Foreign Minister and passed on my deepest condolences to her".[176]

22. David Miliband's statement on 2 March, following the killing of over 100 Palestinians that week by the Israeli military, was of a completely different tone. It implied that the catalyst for the death toll was Palestinian rockets, rather than analyzing these rockets as a response to Israel's brutal siege.

23. This statement started by stating: "The significant rise this week in the number of rocket attacks into Israel, and the Israeli response, have resulted in numerous civilian casualties".[177] David Miliband continued "I condemn the rocket attacks against Israel. These are terrorist acts. They should be seen for what they are—an attempt to break the political process by breaking the will of those committed to peace. That cannot be allowed to happen. All sides in the conflict, and the international community, need to judge their actions by the need to keep the political process alive".

24. Anyone not familiar with the news story would have implied from this statement that the major cause of fatalities were the rocket attacks into Israel, and not Israel's bombardment of the Gazan population. Although condemning the rocket attacks into Israel, he did not condemn the Israeli assault and made absolutely no reference to the killing of 120 Palestinians that week—a third of whom were women and children. The Minister limited his response to saying that: "Israel's right to security and self-defence is clear and must be reiterated and supported. But measures taken in response to rockets must be in accordance with international law, minimising the suffering for innocent civilians, and maximising the scope for political negotiations to be restarted".

25. Presenting Israeli actions as retaliations for Palestinian rocket fire is, at best, disingenuous, and at worst, covering up Israeli war crimes. A non-biased approach to this by the Government must be adopted. As a first step, the British Government should condemn deaths of Palestinians, as well as Israelis, and join in the condemnation of actions carried out by Israel which act against peace.

26. In this light, we note the press release issued by Gush Shalom, the Israeli peace group, on 13 March, on yet another provocation by the Israeli Government, headed "Assassinations in Bethlehem and Tulkarm—a grave provocation". Its press release stated:

27. "The government [of Israel] does not want a ceasefire, but a new flareup. Those who sent the assassins to carry out `liquidations' today, in Tulkarm and Bethlehem, knew what they were doing—a grave act of provocation which might blow up the serious chance which had opened up, to reach ceasefire and calm. This is a wanton, completely irresponsible act, which might return the inhabitants of Sderot, Ashkelon and Gaza back into the hell from which they momentarily escaped". Gush Shalom also listed "a whole week of provocations" including the Israeli Prime Minister approving further settlement construction.[178]

28. There have been a number of ceasefire offers put on the table by Palestinians, but rejected by Israel. As this report is being written, the Israeli newspaper Ha'aretz reported on 12 March that Hamas had issued another ceasefire offer. It is imperative that the British government engages positively with such proposals and uses its best endeavours to ensure that Israel acts in the interests of its own population, as well as the occupied Palestinian population, and grasps these ceasefire offers, ending its military assault upon the Palestinians.

29. There is increasing support in Britain, internationally and within Israel, for negotiations with Hamas. Sixty four per cent of Israelis now back direct talks with Hamas towards a ceasefire and the release of Gilad Shalit, with less than a third opposing such talks.[179]

30. Particularly given the threat of a major military assault by Israel into the Gaza Strip, it is critical that the British government immediately support the call for a ceasefire, and meaningful negotiations for peace and justice.