Tag: genocide

Gaza: West welcomes ceasefire talks

MEANWHILE, POLITICAL FALLOUT IN SCOTLAND

A joint statement by the Foreign Ministers of the United Kingdom, France, Germany and Italy following an update on Israel-Gaza ceasefire negotiations:

‘We, the Foreign Ministers of the United Kingdom, France, Germany and Italy, strongly support the ongoing mediation efforts by the United States, Egypt and Qatar to conclude the agreement for a ceasefire and the release of hostages and are encouraged by the constructive approach adopted so far.

‘We welcome the fact that technical work will continue over the coming days, including on both the humanitarian provisions and the specific arrangements relating to hostages and detainees, and that senior officials will then reconvene before the end of next week with the aim of concluding the agreement.

‘We urge all parties to continue to engage positively and flexibly in this process. We underline the importance of avoiding any escalatory action in the region which would undermine the prospect for peace.  There is too much at stake.’

Closer to home but Gaza-related, SNP MSP John Mason has been stripped of the party whip after “completely unacceptable” social media posts about the conflict in Gaza.

On Thursday, the independent-minded MSP tweeted: ‘Very pleased to see @AngusRobertson met Israeli deputy ambassador @DanielaGrudsky. I also met her last week. Useful discussion on what Israel hopes to achieve in Gaza. As UK learned in Ireland, to achieve peace we must talk to each other… including to people we disagree with.’

Mr Mason followed this up on Friday: ‘If Israel wanted to commit genocide, they would have killed ten times as many.’

Mr Mason said he was “disappointed” by his suspension, which came after he wrote on X that the country’s actions in Gaza did not amount to “genocide”.

Mason’s swift banishment comes after External Affairs Secretary Angus Robertson was pictured standing alongside Israel’s Deputy Ambassador to the UK, Daniela Grudsky.

Many within the SNP are highly critical of Israel’s actions in the Middle East and the diplomatic encounter has prompted a furious internal backlash. with growing calls for First Minister John Swinney to sack Mr Robertson.

29th anniversary of the Srebrenica Genocide: UK statement

Ambassador Holland remembers the victims of the Srebrenica genocide in Bosnia and Herzegovina, and pays tribute to the courage and resilience shown by families and survivors.

Today we remember the victims of the Srebrenica genocide in Bosnia and Herzegovina, and honour the survivors. This year we are marking 11 July more formally for the first time as the International Day of Reflection and Commemoration of the 1995 Genocide in Srebrenica, following the adoption of a UN General Assembly resolution on 23 May.

The International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia found that several individuals were guilty of genocide in Srebrenica. Acknowledgement of that fact should not be a cause for tension and division. Rather, it is a basis on which true reconciliation can be achieved.

Mr Chair, 29 years ago in Srebrenica, genocide took place in Europe for the first time since 1945. It claimed the lives of over 8,000 mostly Muslim men and boys, and led to the displacement of over 20,000 women and children who were forcibly expelled from their homes.

We honour the memory of those killed, and pay tribute to the extraordinary courage and resilience shown by their families and by survivors. We stand with the families in their ongoing fight for justice. 

The UK is committed to supporting Bosnia and Herzegovina in its efforts to build a secure, stable, inclusive society, and heal the fractures caused by conflict. It is regrettable that we continue to see divisive and dangerous nationalist rhetoric, secessionist moves, and open challenges to the constitutional order established by the Dayton Peace Agreement.

The UK is committed to a single, sovereign Bosnia and Herzegovina, and will continue to take action in support of that. We also continue to urge political leaders to condemn any glorification of the perpetrators of war crimes, and to take action against genocide denial. 

Mr Chair, as was the case in 2022 and 2023, we are marking this date in the shadow of Russia’s illegal and unprovoked war of aggression against Ukraine. We must learn the lessons of history.

Terrible events such as the genocide at Srebrenica show the consequences of inaction. We owe it to the victims to create societies that are stable, inclusive and cohesive, and to fight against prejudice, hatred, fear and division wherever we find it. 

Remaining true to our shared commitment to the concept of comprehensive security, articulated by the Helsinki principles and central to membership of the OSCE, is the best way to do this.

The greatest tribute we can give to those who lost their lives is to do everything we can to prevent such a horrific crime from ever being repeated.

Ambassador Holland’s speech at/to the OSCE – The Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe

Largest UK aid delivery enters Gaza to feed 275,000 people

UK funding to World Food Programme supports major aid delivery in Gaza via Jordanian land corridor

The UK’s largest delivery of aid to Gaza has crossed the border and is being distributed by the United Nations to families in need, the Foreign Secretary has confirmed. 

More than 2,000 tonnes of food aid, funded by the government, is being distributed by the World Food Programme (WFP) on the ground. 

This adds to the 150 tonnes of UK funded relief items including blankets and tents, which arrived last Wednesday 13 March, and will be distributed by UNICEF. A full UK field hospital run by UK-Med has also arrived in Gaza and is now operational and providing life-saving care.

The delivery includes fortified wheat flour for use in bakeries, hot meals and well as Ready To Eat (RTE) food parcels. The food parcels will be used to feed more than 275,000 people in Gaza. Each food parcel is designed for family of five and consists of canned vegetables, meat and fish, and date bars. The parcel can meet half of the daily calorie needs of the family for 15 days.  

This comes in the week that a report from Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) warned that famine is imminent in the northern Gaza Strip and the south faces a risk of famine if conditions continue to worsen.  

Foreign Secretary David Cameron said: “It’s crucial that we keep the flow of aid moving into Gaza to end the suffering, and that’s why this latest delivery of aid by WFP is so vitally important.

“The IPC’s report warns of imminent famine. We need sustained humanitarian access by road to get more aid in. We continue to push Israel to allow more crossings to open and for longer, and for healthcare, water and sanitation to be restored.”

Since the opening of the corridor in December 2023, the Government of Jordan, with the Jordan Hashemite Charity Organization, has worked to ensure the passage of almost 600 trucks of humanitarian assistance into Gaza carrying 8,000 tons of relief and food items. 

Humanitarian assistance from 10 different international aid agencies – including from UK partners WFP and UNICEF – has reached Gaza. 

The latest delivery was again facilitated by Jordan, who have been instrumental in supporting the UK’s humanitarian response.

The UK is committed to ensuring aid reaches those who need it most, as Palestinians continue to face a devastating and growing humanitarian crisis in Gaza. The Foreign Secretary has been clear that Israel must increase capacity to safely distribute aid within Gaza.

This includes opening a land crossing in the north and issuing more visas to UN staff who are capable of delivering aid when it arrives in Gaza.

UK Government’s repeated refusal to call for an immediate ceasefire is shameful, says Yousaf

First Minister urges UK to hold the Government of Israel to account

First Minister Humza Yousaf has urged the UK Government to use its position as a trusted ally of the Government of Israel to demand an end to “indiscriminate attacks” that have seen thousands of children in Gaza killed. He has made it clear that those responsible for killing civilians must be held accountable.

Ten weeks since Israel’s invasion of Gaza the First Minister said the UK Government’s refusal to call for an immediate ceasefire is “shameful”.

The First Minister’s latest call comes as the United Nations has expressed concern up to 1.9 million internally displaced people are moving into smaller and smaller pockets in the Gaza Strip.

The UN Relief and Works Agency (UNWRA) for Palestinian Refugees has warned that 40% of the population of Gaza is now at risk of famine due to “catastrophic hunger”, and the latest Integrated food security Phase Classification (IPC) brief shows Gaza is experiencing a food security emergency driven by ongoing hostilities.

Responding to the unfolding humanitarian crisis in the region, the First Minister said diplomatic approaches have so far failed to bring about any change and an immediate ceasefire was needed.

The First Minister said: “The time has come for the UK Government to speak out forcefully and make it clear that Israeli action has gone way beyond a legitimate response to the appalling Hamas attack of 7 October. 

“Hearing comments from an Israeli Government Minister urging displacement of Palestinians from Gaza is deeply disturbing and should be universally condemned. Gaza is Occupied Palestinian Territory and will be part of a future Palestinian state – Gazans should not be subject to forcible displacement or relocation from Gaza.

“The UK Government must make clear that Prime Minister Netanyahu, Israeli Ministers and military commanders will be held accountable for the killing of thousands of innocent civilians and the deaths of tens of thousands more from starvation and disease if Israel does not immediately cease indiscriminate attacks and allow aid to enter Gaza on the scale needed to avert a humanitarian disaster.

“Hamas leaders must also be held accountable for the appalling attacks against Israeli civilians on 7 October.

“Talk of a sustainable ceasefire from the UK Government has made no difference on the ground, as the situation has worsened for the people of Gaza.

“The UK Government must use its voice and influence to stop the killing – directly with the Israeli government, and indirectly with the US.”