Saturday’s London March for Palestine has taken on a whole, different meaning now

Hundreds of thousands of demonstrators will take to the streets of London on Saturday 3 August to demand the UK government cease arming Israel and take all possible steps to avert a wider Middle East war.

Israel: fomenting war in the Middle East

We are now 10 months into what the International Court of Justice ruled to be a plausible case of genocide in Gaza. Over 40,000 Palestinians have been killed, more than 16,000 of them children. Last month, UN experts noted that Israel’s starvation campaign has “resulted in famine across all of Gaza”.

Israel also continues its military invasions, assassinations, and ethnic cleansing of Palestinians across the illegally occupied West Bank, where over 554 Palestinians have been killed since October 2023.

In the past few days, Israel has conducted attacks on Lebanon and Iran. These strikes on sovereign territory are in violation of international law, and led to civilian deaths and casualties, including children. Israel’s contemptuous disregard for international law, and the acquiescence of its Western allies, including the UK, means we stand at the brink of a wider regional war.

UK government delays decisions

Instead of taking meaningful steps to hold Israel to account, the UK government has chosen to delay a decision on whether to suspend arms sales to Israel.

As a signatory to the Arms Trade Treaty and under domestic law, the UK has a legal obligation to ensure that UK arms are not sold if there is a clear risk that they might be used to commit or facilitate a serious violation of International Humanitarian Law.

People will march on Saturday to demand the government adheres to its responsibilities under international law and cease aiding and abetting Israel’s grave war crimes by immediately imposing a two-way arms embargo on Israel.

Israel’s contemptuous regard for international law must be held to account

The march leaves Park Lane at 12pm, before rally at Whitehall from 2:30pm.

Ben Jamal, Palestine Solidarity Campaign director, said:

Before Labour came to power David Lammy demanded the Conservative Foreign Secretary immediately publish the legal advice on the sale of arms to Israel. Now in Government, he has delayed a decision as to whether arms sales need to be halted despite the clear evidence of Israel breaching International Humanitarian Law with its genocide in Gaza. How many more Palestinians must be killed before David Lammy decides to stop arming their oppressors?

Israel’s contemptuous disregard for international law comes from decades of impunity, which is only possible due to the support of its allies, including the UK. We now stand on the brink of a wider regional war. We march to reassert the fundamental truth that there will be no peace in the Middle East without an end to Israel’s genocide, the dismantlement of its regime of settler-colonialism, military occupation and apartheid, and freedom and return for the Palestinian people.

Featured image via