Urgent aid must be allowed to enter Palestinian territory
Israeli forces must urgently allow aid to reach extremely vulnerable children, says Scottish Greens Co-Leader Patrick Harvie MSP, ahead of a Parliamentary committee hearing from aid agencies working in Gaza and the West Bank.
It comes after warnings yesterday from the United Nations that 14,000 babies could die in Gaza unless extra aid arrived. Israel claims to have ended their 11-week aid blockade of Gaza, but the UN has warned that the aid trucks allowed in so far are just a "drop in the ocean" compared to what Gaza needs.
Scottish Greens have continually called for the UK & Scottish Governments to end complicity in the war crimes being committed by Israel.
The Labour UK Government has provided more arms to Israel in three months than the previous three years under Conservative governments, and the SNP Scottish Government have continued to fund arms manufacturers who produce parts for the F-35 fighter jets which have been used by Israel.
Scottish Greens Co-Leader Patrick Harvie MSP said:
“The situation in Gaza is unprecedented in modern times, with the world allowing Israel to inflict collective punishment on a grotesque scale. Aid blockades and genocide are never acceptable yet governments across the West have overlooked Israel’s war crimes.
“Israeli forces have withheld urgent aid from civilians for over 11 weeks, and despite their claims to be allowing aid into Palestinian territory, we have heard from the front lines that what is being allowed to enter is nowhere near enough.
“Senior Ministers in the Israeli Government are quite explicit about their intention to destroy Palestinian life in Gaza, and their utter contempt for international law.
“The UK Labour Government have blood on their hands, they have continued to enable and support Israel’s war crimes throughout this disgraceful campaign. They must now surely end all trade with Israel, and join with other countries to ensure that urgent aid is provided to meet the immediate needs of the people of Gaza.”