Dear Foreign Secretary
I am writing on behalf of the United Nations Association London and South East Region (UNA LASER) to congratulate you both on the content and on the manner of your statement to the House of Commons on Tuesday on Israel/Palestine. It was a courageous, sensitive and important statement by a “proud, British Jew” with strong commitment to human rights.
LASER’s members have been campaigning for years – both to their MPs and to the FCDO – for a change in UK government policy to reflect the findings of the ICJ and the ICC, as well as to address the terrible suffering and loss of human rights being experienced by the Palestinians – in both the West Bank and in Gaza. You are now taking many of the actions we have been urging. This puts the UK back into membership of countries being guided by a rules-based international system, which it helped to form and of which it was a proud leader until recent years. It is important that you acted in concert with many other countries following such guidance. Thank you.
We strongly endorse, too, your frustration about criticism of the actions of the current Israeli government being conflated with anti-Semitism. This is not helped by the Labour party (and many other UK institutions) using the IHRA definition of anti-Semitism. This can be interpreted to include such a conflation, and we urgently suggest that you adopt the Jerusalem Declaration which makes clear the distinction. We join you in strongly condemning anti-Semitism – a form of racism – while wanting to help all those supporting a fair resolution to the Israel/Palestine conflict not to blame ‘Jews’ (and attack synagogues), but instead to remove all support from harmful actions of the Israeli governments and certain citizens of Israel (such as those in illegal West Bank settlements persecuting the resident Palestinian villages). It is unfortunate that the statements of certain UK Jewish leaders, such as the Chief Rabbi, undermine this and I am glad you made it clear that you disagree with him. Does he believe in a 2-state solution and in respect for the rights of the Palestinian people?
We understand the criticisms you made of Hamas and join you in strongly condemning the atrocities they perpetrated on 7th October 2023. However, it is useful to consider parallel historical perpetrators of atrocity by groups frustrated at their lack of human rights and democratic consideration, such as the African National Congress and the Irish Republican Army. Their long-running, violent conflicts were resolved only when the powerful talked with the ‘terrorists’ (including those in prison for violence) and tried to understand them and address the causes of their violence, which then reduced their support and led to dramatic reduction in the violence.
In order to progress to statehood, the Palestinians need to be able to elect visionary leaders with the potential to unify Palestinian leadership, one of the most popular of whom is Marwan Barghouti. We therefore urge you to press for the fair treatment of him and other Palestinian political prisoners and for them to be consulted in negotiations with Israel about the future of Palestine.
We shall work hard to support you in taking forward your new policies and wish you well in these important actions.
Best wishes
Patricia Rogers
Chair, UNA LASER
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