The Arab community in Britain moves to pressure Starmer over his stance on Gaza.
The Palestinian community in Britain organized a parliamentary hearing attended by Al Arabiya Net.
Recently, the Arab community in Britain has launched extensive efforts to pressure Prime Minister Keir Starmer over his stance on the ongoing Israeli war on Gaza and Lebanon, urging him to act to deliver humanitarian aid to civilians in Gaza and work toward a ceasefire to end the humanitarian disaster.
The Palestinian community in Britain held a parliamentary hearing last week, attended by Al Arabiya Net, with three British MPs participating. They listened to detailed testimonies from British citizens of Palestinian origin about the situation in Gaza. Following the hearing, the MPs sent a letter to Prime Minister Starmer urging him to reconsider his pro-Israel stance.
During the hearing, Dr. Nihad Khnfar, head of the Palestinian community, addressed MPs about the tragedy in Gaza and the Israeli war causing a humanitarian catastrophe, calling for measures to deter Israel from continuing its actions.
A British woman of northern Gaza origin also spoke, stating she lost 42 family members in Israeli strikes. She displayed a large panel with photos of her family members killed, most of them women and children.
Following the meeting with MPs, the Arab Community Conference, representing British Arabs, sent a message to Starmer urging him to recognize the situation in Gaza as a "genocide," immediately halt the attacks, and ensure humanitarian aid reaches thousands trapped in the territory.
The Arab Community Conference also called on the UK government to restore full humanitarian access, resume UNRWA operations, and pressure Israel to enforce a ceasefire in Gaza.
This new message to Starmer follows two previous letters sent to former UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak on November 5 and December 21, 2023. Sunak had responded, but UK policies regarding the situation in Palestinian territories remained largely .unchanged
:In its letter, the Arab community stated
"We are now compelled to address you as the situation in Gaza has escalated into an undeniable humanitarian disaster, with over 43,000 killed, mostly civilians, including women and children. The suffering in Jabalia illustrates the crisis, with over 100,000 people trapped without food, water, or electricity while the world remains silent."
:The letter continued
"The suspension of UNRWA operations due to Israeli measures has worsened the situation, leaving the most vulnerable without essential humanitarian aid. These actions are not only inhumane but constitute a blatant violation of international law."
It criticized Starmer’s recent parliamentary statement denying that Israel’s actions constitute genocide, emphasizing that evidence such as the deliberate targeting of civilians, deprivation of basic needs, and systematic destruction of critical infrastructure clearly meet the definition of genocide under international law.
The letter concluded by urging Starmer to condemn the Israeli occupation forces’ aggression, recognize the crisis as a "genocide," call for an immediate ceasefire and lifting of the blockade on Gaza, restore full humanitarian access, ensure the resumption of UNRWA operations, and use Britain’s international influence to hold perpetrators accountable.
The Arab Community Conference was established in London in June 2023 by Arab London and the Arab Thinking Forum. It has mobilized a large number of intellectuals, journalists, writers, and academics from across Britain’s Arab community, serving as a unifying umbrella. Its membership includes representatives from most Arab communities, including Palestinian community head Nihad Khnfar, Jordanian community head Helmi Al-Harashah, and other Arab community leaders.
Source: Al Arabiya Net (link)