15/01/2024
So where, exactly, does the idea come from that an illegal occupier can claim self-defence against a threat from the territory it illegally occupies? I have put the question to a couple of MPs but they always dodge it.
And what right, exactly, has Israel to eliminate the threat posed by Hamas when Israel itself is the much greater and deadlier threat – as we’ve seen every day for the last 75 years and long before Hamas existed.
The Palestinians on the other hand have a cast-iron claim to self-defence, being victims of illegal military occupation. UN Resolution 37/43 gives them an unquestionable right to eliminate the threat posed by Israel in their endless struggle for “liberation from colonial domination, apartheid and foreign occupation by all available means including armed struggle”.
37/43 also condemns “the constant and deliberate violations of the fundamental rights of the Palestinian people, as well as the expansionist activities of Israel in the Middle East, which constitute an obstacle to the achievement of self-determination and independence by the Palestinian people and a threat to peace and stability in the region”.
The Palestinians’ right to armed struggle is confirmed in UN Resolution 3246 which calls for all States to recognize the right to self-determination and independence for all peoples subject to colonial and foreign domination and alien subjugation and to assist them in their struggle. 3246 not only reaffirms the Palestinians’ right to use “all available means, including armed struggle” in their fight for freedom, but also demands full respect for the basic human rights of all individuals detained or imprisoned as a result of their struggle for self-determination and independence, and strict respect for Article 5 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights under which no one shall be subjected to torture or to cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment. So where is UKGov’s concern for the thousands of Palestinian prisoners held hostage in Israel’s jails?
‘Groomed’ by Israel’s propaganda specialists
There’s no sign that Lord Cameron, Rishi Sunak and the rest of the UK Government understand any of this. And could it be that our MPs are too dim to ask: “Hang on a minute, don’t Palestinians have any right to self-defence when Israel has for decades been illegally occupying their territory with military force, murdering their civilians, stealing their resources, destroying their livelihoods, stifling their economy, restricting their movement and preventing them exercising their right to self-determination and independence?
The answer is yes, they really are that dim. And it’s largely due to Israel’s ‘grooming’ programme whereby serving MPs and parliamentary candidates, on the recommendation of the political parties’ ‘Friends of Israel’ groups, are taken on propaganda trips to Israel as guests of the Israeli government and returned suitably brainwashed. Never mind that this is a breach of MPs’ code of conduct and the Seven Principles of Public Life which state that “holders of public office must avoid placing themselves under any obligation to people or organisations that might try inappropriately to influence them in their work”. In any language this grooming amounts to corruption. And our watchdog – the Committee on Standards in Public Life which is charged with upholding ethical standards – doesn’t seem to care. The Chair of the Committee is appointed by the Prime Minister…. what can possibly go wrong?
Answers, please!
The questions I suggest PSC and the others put to UKGov include these:
Hamas is the chosen, elected and legitimate government of Gaza. What makes UKGov and the US think they have the right to prevent Palestinians choosing their own government and bring about coercive regime change?
Under international law the correct way to “eliminate the threat posed by Hamas” is by requiring Israel to end its illegal occupation of Palestinian territory and theft of Palestinian resources. Why hasn’t UKGov adopted this approach
