Israel’s air strikes, house raids, bombardment, and sheer violence have displaced 1.5 million Palestinians and killed approximately 20,000 of them. About 7,000 Palestinians are missing, of which a majority are suspected to be trapped under the rubble of the infrastructure that Israel has destroyed. Still, the Israeli Defence Force (IDF) continues to wage terror on the Palestinians, with the Israeli Defence Minister, Yoav Gallant, claiming that the IDF is “fighting human animals.”
Interestingly, before any destruction began, in September, Netanyahu brandished a map of ‘The New Middle East’ as he addressed the 78th session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA). In it, Israel encompassed Gaza and the West Bank, leaving no trace of Palestine. His abhorrent gesture was looked down upon, especially at a platform such as UNGA, by the Palestinian Ambassador to Germany Laith Arafeh. However, Netanyahu showed no remorse, and the catastrophe of the genocide began on October 7th. Every minute, men, women, and especially children, who comprise more than half of the Palestinian population, are being slaughtered in the name of seeking “revenge from Hamas” when it is quite clear that the goal of the occupation is not to avenge any terrorist organization, rather to invade the ‘Holy land’ for the ‘chosen people.’
The public’s reaction across the world has been heavily sympathetic towards the Palestinians. Although their reality is being shared and their voices are being heard through the few prominent journalists present in Gaza, the Palestinian people have shown the world relentless courage in the face of genocide. Millions of supporters have marched across cities and written to their official representatives. However, a country that has starkly been at odds with its people and policy is none other than Britain.
Earlier in November, at a weekend rally, half a million pro-Palestinian supporters marched across London chanting slogans of unity and demanding Israel ceasefire in the Gaza Strip. This sentiment reverberated throughout Europe and worldwide, with thousands of people coming out on the streets to protest in their respective countries. Shortly after that, Britain held one of the world’s biggest Pro-Palestine rallies, amassing approximately one million protestors. The march was the largest in British political history, and a week later, the Scottish National Party (SNP) forced a vote on a ceasefire within the House of Commons in Westminster.
Interestingly, the UK Parliamentary structure is divided into three major houses: the Sovereign (King-in-Parliament), the House of Lords, and the House of Commons. The House of Lords in the upper chamber contains pedigree that are life members or hereditary. In contrast, The House of Commons in the lower chamber comprises 650 single-member constituencies, including the Prime Minister. The most power is vested in the King, who acts on the advice of the Prime Minister. In this case, since both the Prime Minister and the King are on the same page regarding the ceasefire, the decision could be overturned even if the House of Commons won the vote. Interestingly, Ben Bloch, in his report published in the Jewish Chronicle, noted that “seven key ministers in Rishi Sunak’s government are either Jewish, descended from Jews, or married to Jews,” namely Dominic Raab, Grant Shapps, Lucy Frazer, Robert Halfon, Tom Tugendhat, Suella Braverman and Robert Jenrick who hold major positions within the House of Commons and united in their rejection of any ceasefire.
The writer holds an undergraduate degree in Literary Studies from Eugene Lang College of Liberal Arts at The New School and an MPhil in South Asian Studies from the University of Cambridge. She can be reached at fathimahsheikh@gmail.com
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