ICJP Statement: ICJP welcomes calls for ceasefire from Mayor of London
London, 27th October 2023- The International Centre of Justice for Palestinians (ICJP) welcomes the call for ceasefire by Mayor of London Sadiq Khan. Khan’s comments follow calls for a ceasefire from other UK parliamentarians including Liberal Democrats Leader Ed Davey and Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby.
ICJP calls on the Labour frontbenches to follow the leadership shown by Sadiq Khan in calling for a ceasefire. In his statement, Khan said: “No nation, including Israel has the right to break international law.” This is a simple and fundamental principle that must be followed by all politicians, including the UK government, which has supplied weaponry to aid and abet Israel.
Members of the Labour frontbench including Keir Starmer and Emily Thornberry have not only failed to call for a ceasefire, but also previously defended Israel’s tactic of restricting food, water and electricity in the siege of Gaza. These siege tactics are illegal under international law. Keir Starmer rescinded his comments mere hours after ICJP issued him a notice of intention to prosecute UK politicians who aided and abetted international laws.
However, simply backtracking on his defence of siege tactics is not sufficient. In fact, a call for a ceasefire would constitute the bare minimum in order to ensure that innocent civilians in Gaza get the vital humanitarian aid that they need. Calls for ‘humanitarian corridors’ and a temporary ‘humanitarian pause’ are also insufficient to ensure that the 2 million people in Gaza facing this humanitarian crisis are adequately supported. It is imperative that all UK politicians immediately and strongly call for a ceasefire.
They must also make it fundamentally clear that Israel does not have the right to break international law. If a rules-based system of accountability was upheld, with equal application to all actors, the scale of this humanitarian disaster could have been mitigated. By providing Israel with unique exceptionalism to break international law systematically on such a large scale, members of the international community may be complicit in the war crimes and crimes against humanity carried out by Israel.
ENDS
Notes to Editors:
- The International Centre of Justice for Palestinians is an independent organisation of lawyers, politicians and academics who support the rights of Palestinians and aim to protect their rights through the law.
- For more information, or to arrange an interview with a spokesperson please contact Public Affairs and Communications Officer Jonathan Purcell: [email protected].