Mish Rahman, a member of Labour’s ruling National Executive Committee (NEC), today sets out a campaign to put pressure on the Party leadership to back a ceasefire in the Israel-Palestine conflict.
Rahman’s campaign titled “Labour for a Ceasefire Now” intends to compile support from grassroots Labour Party members as well as from throughout the labour movement and the British public to gather signatures to demand Labour backs a ceasefire.
It comes ahead of crucial votes in Parliament on the issue around the King’s speech, with Shadow Foreign Secretary David Lammy attempting to dissuade Labour MPs from voting for an SNP amendment backing a ceasefire. Labour MP Zarah Sultana has also put down an amendment backing an immediate ceasefire, a position shared by the UN, WHO and international human rights organisations and charities, and now French President Emmanuel Macron.
At least 18 shadow ministers have backed a ceasefire, with Imran Hussain becoming the first to resign over the Labour leadership’s continued support for Israel’s war. At least 300 Labour councillors have publicly demanded a ceasefire, with around 50 also resigning over the issue. More than one-third of Labour MPs have also backed a ceasefire: 99 MPs in total have now signed an early Day Motion calling for one.
Many Labour Groups of Councillors have called for a ceasefire. Brighton & Hove Labour Group are the latest, joining Labour Groups from other major cities including Manchester, Birmingham, Leeds, Sheffield, Glasgow, Nottingham and Leicester.
Rahman believes that Labour must follow in the footsteps of Sadiq Khan, Tracy Brabin, Anas Sarwar and Andy Burnham in calling for a ceasefire. He is urging the Party to provide the moral leadership to unite Britain’s communities at a time of international turmoil.
Rahman said: ‘The scenes we are seeing in Gaza right now are absolutely heart-breaking – and indefensible. One crime must not be answered with another. As a progressive party, Labour must be clear: every human life is precious, Israeli and Palestinian. It is not a viable position for us to back the Conservative Government’s position and oppose a ceasefire when the World Health Organisation is warning of Gaza’s hospitals being turned into cemeteries. Peace can only be made when there is an intention and a will for it. With more than 10,000 Palestinians killed in Gaza, among them several thousand children, Labour should be leading the charge for a ceasefire.”
In a video accompanying the new campaign, Rahman signals his aim to push Starmer and the Party to listen to the British public and its own membership and provide leadership to the nation – the overwhelmingly majority of whom support calls for a ceasefire.
Rahman’s campaign launch involves a website and a video where people are invited to add their names to urge the Labour leadership to call for a ceasefire.
The campaign can be found at Labour for a Ceasefire Now www.labourforaceasefirenow.org.uk https://facebook.com/Labour4CeasfireNow
Image: London protest, Saturday November 11th. c/o Labour Hub.
Labour Hub 