Lift this inhumane blockade of Gaza NOW!

An open letter to the British prime minister

The

Rt Hon David Cameron MP

Prime Minister

10 Downing Street

London SW1A 0AA

 

Dear Prime Minister,

 

We, the undersigned, are appalled at the unlawful killing of humanitarian workers on board Mavi Marmara by Israeli commandos in international waters defying international law. The Gaza Freedom Flotilla was an international humanitarian effort to bring aid to the besieged population of Gaza.

The Irish Taoiseach (Prime Minister), Brian Cowen, has directly blamed the Gaza blockade for the deaths. He is quoted in the London Evening Standard: "I believe that is in violation of international law. People are entitled to have humanitarian assistance."

The UN also considers the blockade illegal. We commend the Foreign Secretary's statement calling for an end to the blockade of the Gaza Strip and now ask our government to pursue this course of action as a matter of urgency.

The blockade has heaped misery on Gaza's 1.5 million residents many of whom are refugees in their own country having been forcibly expelled from Israel. The UN humanitarian coordinator said last week that the formal economy in Gaza has "collapsed" and 60 percent of households are short of food.

According to UN statistics, around 70 percent of Gazans live on less than $1 a day, 75 percent rely on food aid and 60 percent have no daily access to water. A UN report last year said that on average it took 85 days to get shelter kits into Gaza, 68 days to deliver health and pediatric hygiene kits, and 39 days for household items such as bedding and kitchen utensils.

It said that school textbooks and stationery had been delayed. A UN fact-finding mission described the blockade as "collective punishment", illegal in international law.

We urge you in the name of humanity to provide leadership to end this siege; this state of affairs should not be allowed to continue for a day longer and the time has come for the newly elected British government to use all its resources to bring an end to the inhumane Gaza Blockade.

 

Yours sincerely,

 

Dr. Muhammad Abdul Bari

Secretary-General, Muslim Council of Britain

 

 

Joined by

 

1.     Brendan Barber - General Secretary, Trades Union Congress

2.     Professor Avi Shlaim - Professor of International Relations, Oxford University

3.     Michael Mansfield QC - Human Rights Activist

4.     Ken Livingstone - Former Mayor of London

5.     Robert Lambert - Co-Director, European Muslim Research Centre

6.     James O'Nions - Chair, War On Want

7.     Maulana Sarfraz Madni - President, UK Islamic Mission

8.     Rt. Hon Lord Dafydd Elis-Thomas - Presiding Officer, National Assembly For Wales

9.     Lord Ahmed of Rotherham

10.    Tony Benn - President, Stop the War Coalition

11.    John F Smith - General Secretary, British Musicians' Union

12.    Brian Eno - Singer, musician, composer, record producer

13.    Maulana Moudood Hassan, President, Dawatul Islam UK & Eire

14.    Musleh Faradhi - Central President, Islamic Forum Europe

15.    Andrew Murray - Chair, Stop the War Coalition

16.    Oliver McTernan - Cofounder & Director Forward Thinking

17.    William Sieghart - Chairman, Forward Thinking

18.    Dr. Jonathan Githens-Mazer - University of Exeter and Co-Director EMRC

19.    John Griffiths AM - Minister of Children, Education, Government of Wales

20.    Derek Simpson - Joint General Secretary, Unite the Union

21.    Matloob Hussain - Chairman, Union of Muslim Organisations - Walsall

22.    Saleem Kidwai- Secretary General, Muslim Council of Wales

23.    Salah Beltagui - Convener, Muslim Council of Scotland

24.    Shaykh Ibrahim Mogra - Chairman, Religions for Peace UK

25.    Christine Blower - General Secretary, National Union of Teachers (NUT)

26.    Faisal Hanjara - President, Federation of Students Islamic Societies

27.    Dave Prentis - General Secretary, Unison

28.    Dr. Mohamed Mukadam - Chairman, Association of Muslim Schools UK

29.    Abdurrazagh Ezzeddin - Chair, Muslim Students Society UK & Eire

30.    Ibrahim Hewitt - Chairman of the board of Trustees, INTERPAL

31.    Jeremy Corbyn MP - Member of Parliament (Islington North)

32.    Hywel Williams MP - Member of Parliament (Plaid Cymru, Arfon)

33.    Irfan Mustafa - Vice President, Indian Muslim Federation (UK)

34.    Toufik Kacimi - Director, Muslim Welfare House

35.    Sheikh Qari M Ismail - Lead Imam, Central Mosque Birmingham

36.    Ufuk Seçgin - Islamic Community Millî Görüº UK (ICMG UK)

37.    Lindsey German - Convener, Stop the War Coalition

38.    Young Muslims UK

39.    Jews for Justice for Palestine

40.    Asif Ahmed - Chairman, Scottish Islamic foundation

41.    Sandra White MSP - Member of Scottish Parliament (Glasgow)

42.    Cllr Salma Yaqoob - Leader, Respect Party

43.    Anas Takriti - The Cordoba Foundation

44.    Dr. Daud Abdullah - Middle East Monitor

45.    Ahtsham Ali - President, Islamic Society of Britain

46.    Bob Crow - General Secretary, National Union of Rail, Maritime and Transport Workers

47.    Jeremy Dear - General Secretary, National Union of Journalists (NUJ)

48.    Dr. Ashraf Makadam - Chairman, Federation Of Muslim Organisations Leicestershire

49.    Majed Al Zeer - Palestinian Return Centre

50.    Muhammad Sawalha - British Muslim Initiative

51.    Dr. Ruth Blakeley - Lecturer in International Relations, University of Kent

52.    Norman Finkelstein - Author

53.    Dr. Abdul Karim Khalil - Director, Muslim Cultural Heritage Centre Trust

54.    Revd Gwynn ap Gwilym - Adviser to the Bench of Bishops, Church in Wales

55.    Nia Griffiths MP - Assembly Member, National Assembly of Wales and MP of Llanelli

56.    Leanne Wood AM - Assembly Member, National Assembly of Wales

57.    Christine Chapman AM - Assembly Member, National Assembly of Wales

58.    Bethan Jenkins AM - Assembly Member, National Assembly of Wales

59.    Sayed Mohammed Musawi - Chair, World Ahlul Bayt Islamic League

60.    Billy Hayes - General Secretary of the Communication Workers Union (CWU)

61.    Sally Hunt - General Secretary of the Universities and Colleges Union (UCU)

62.    Matt Wrack - General Secretary, Fire Brigades' Union (FBU)

63.    Mark Serwotka - General Secretary, Public and Commercial Services Union (PCS)

64.    Hugh Lanning - Chair, Palestine Solidarity Campaign (PSC)

65.    Chris Keates - General Secretary, NASUWT, The Teachers' Union

66.    Dr. Swee Ang - Senior consultant, Barth's Hospital

67.    Richard Newsom - Consultant Surgeon and Hon Senior Lecturer, Southampton University

68.    Professor Ilan Pappe - Director of the European Centre for Palestine Studies, University of Exeter

69.    Abbas M H Ismail - Islamic Education Manager, The World Federation of KSIMC

70.    Gerry Doherty - General Secretary, Transport Salaried Staffs' Association

71.    Ifath Nawaz - President, Association of Muslim Lawyers UK

72.    Steve Gillan - General Secretary, The Professional Trades Union for Prison, Correctional and Secure Psychiatric Workers

73.   Haji Khadim Hussain - President Bradford Council for Mosques

Comments

GEORGE

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The moment Hamas declares, that Israel has a right to exist and it will not destroy this legal, sovereign State, the blockade should be lifted. Every sovereign state has the right to defend and use every military option available against an outside existential threat. History is full of examples. Any country that sheds fake crocodile tears about the blockade, should study their own history and realise the total hypocracy. ie. How many wars of conquest has Turkey been in, Iran, Iraq, Syrian history, Russian history, Egyptian history. What about European history, American history etc. etc. Palestinians have a right to their own territory, but both the Palestinians and the Israelis have botched many opportunities to sign a peace deal. Every time a peace deal was very close, Hamas would send a suicide bomber into Israel to destroy the deal. What is the muslim world and the West Bank going to do about Hamas? Then the West can pressure Israel to be more flexible. Like the muslim world, the West has also made mistakes. The question is, who is going to be a peacemaker, and who wants to continue to promote hatred.

UBAID

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GEORGE,My advice to you is that you should learn your own history.Do you know the example of a monkey?
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