Posted on 2014-07-23 | 01:46

As the slaughter of Palestinian civilians in Gaza continues, Roger is among those calling for an immediate ceasefire on both sides and an end to a conflict which is becoming yet more bloody and pointless.

He commented: “This massacring of a civilian population, including children, which has already suffered so much under the blockade must not be allowed to drag on. Far too many innocent people have already died, while the international community has failed to negotiate a ceasefire let alone a lasting solution. For too long, the world has stood by and watched while the Palestinians have been treated as second-class citizens in their own country.”

“I believe the time has now come for the international community to consider sanctions against Israel. The Israeli military cannot be allowed to continue treating an occupied and dispossessed population of frightened and traumatised civilians as if it were a military target. Both sides need to stop firing, and the world’s leaders need to put pressure on Israel to negotiate a two-state solution. Otherwise, yet more lives will be pointlessly lost and the conflict will further destabilise the region.”

Roger has written to the Foreign Secretary to raise his concerns about the collective punishment of Palestinians, and has signed Early Day Motion 250, which reads:

That this House regards Israel's latest attack on the Gaza Strip, Operation Protective Edge, as a disproportionate escalation of violence against Palestinians; notes that since the end of Operation Cast Lead on 19 January 2009 Israel has killed 490 Palestinians in the Gaza Strip; calls for an immediate end to Israeli military strikes against Palestinians in the Gaza Strip and military incursions into Palestinian population centres in the West Bank, both of which constitute collective punishment and are in violation of the Fourth Geneva Convention; calls for an immediate end to retaliatory rocket attacks from Gaza; and urges Israel as the occupying power to de-escalate the conflict.

Roger has also tabled Written Parliamentary Questions to urge Business Secretary, Vince Cable, to consider bringing in a weapons embargo on the UK’s trade with Israel, and to ask the Foreign and Commonwealth Office what guarantees it has sought from Israel that weapons sold to it by the UK will not be used on civilians in Palestine.

Said Roger: “The idea that weapons manufactured by UK companies are being used against defenceless civilians in Gaza is extremely worrying. I call on the Government to take steps to urgently investigate this matter, and to put a weapons embargo in place to ensure that UK exports are not worsening the conflict in the Middle East. It is shameful that UK companies are making a profit from the murders of innocent, unarmed people, particularly as this is happening with Government support and assistance.”