Palestine recognition alone is not enough - end the genocide
Responding to reports that Keir Starmer will announcement UK recognition of Palestine, Scottish Greens external affairs spokesperson, Patrick Harvie MSP, has called for the Prime Minister to stop arming and enabling Israel’s genocide in Gaza.
Patrick said:
“This is a welcome and long overdue change, but it is nowhere near enough and it does nothing to remove Starmer’s complicity in the atrocities that are being inflicted. International recognition must be only the first step. What is urgently needed is an end to the genocide.
“UK-made weapons are being used in some of the worst war crimes of this century while UK forces have been training with Israel’s apartheid army. It was only a matter of days ago that Israel’s President was welcomed into Downing Street.
“Keir Starmer and his colleagues cannot say that they weren’t aware of the grotesque scale of the crisis that they have chosen to enable. We have all witnessed it on our screens and seen the horrifying reports from the UN and other experts.
“He could have used his influence to help in putting a stop to it, but instead he backed Israel’s far right government while it cut off aid and starved Palestinians.
Patrick added: “Today’s announcement is the result of pressure from a movement that has mobilised hundreds of thousands of people all across the UK.
“That has included the pressure for boycotts, divestment and sanctions, and the Scottish Parliament recently backed a Green proposal for this action, which the UK should copy.
“This announcement won’t stop the protests or change our determination to end the arms sales and the killing and ensure justice and dignity for Palestinians.”