There is no justification for the devastating Israeli bombardment of the Gaza Strip, a densely populated area where over two million Palestinians — almost half of whom are children — live under a brutal military occupation in conditions often described as an open-air prison camp.
The RSP unequivocally condemns the Israeli bombing of homes, hospitals, schools and mosques, the shutting-off of water, electricity, food and fuel, and the closing of the Rafah border crossing both to refugees and much-needed aid. This collective punishment of Palestinian civilians in clear violation of international human rights law, yet with virtually no challenge from western governments, has precipitated a humanitarian crisis of almost unimaginable scale.
Israel is to blame for this conflict. The latest violence, in which we accept there is clear evidence that war crimes have been committed by all parties, is the product of Israel’s 75-year-long occupation of Palestine, its 16-year-long blockade of Gaza, and its steadfast maintenance of an apartheid regime. Talk of a ‘two-state solution’ has long been utterly discredited.
There is an urgent need for the building of the biggest possible Palestine solidarity movement internationally, especially if Benjamin Netanyahu’s far-right government launches a ground invasion of Gaza which will no doubt turn quickly into another genocidal campaign — and which Palestinians, just as much as Ukrainians, have every right to resist through armed struggle.
We oppose all UK state attempts to criminalise Palestinians and solidarity activists. We encourage all to join solidarity demonstrations, including those called by the Scottish Palestine Solidarity Campaign in Glasgow, Edinburgh, Dundee and Aberdeen this Saturday.
We salute those activists, such as in Palestine Action, who have used civil disobedience tactics to disrupt UK arms factories supplying Israel with weapons for use against Palestinians. We also support the continuing call for boycotts, divestments and sanctions (BDS) against Israel.
It is deeply disturbing that even the most qualified expressions of sympathy with Palestinians are now considered beyond the acceptable boundaries of Scottish and British public discourse.
We condemn the racist abuse of Humza Yousaf and Nadia el-Nakla as they attempt to secure the safety of their family in Gaza, as well as opportunistic attacks on Maggie Chapman for speaking out on the root cause of the conflict. We offer them all our unconditional solidarity.
This is the moment for all internationalists to be brave and stand in solidarity with Palestinians and in support of a just and lasting peace which guarantees the equal rights of all in the region.