Posted on 2014-08-06 | 01:42

Roger has written to the new Foreign Secretary, Philip Hammond MP, to express his horror at the ongoing slaughter of civilians in Gaza. More than eighteen hundred Palestinians have now been killed, including 430 children, simply because they live in Gaza. Roger called on the Foreign Secretary to support international sanctions against Israel, at the level of either the EU or the UN, and to bring in an immediate arms embargo against Israel.

He wrote: "It is utterly unacceptable for UK weapons companies to continue making a profit by selling weapons which will be used against innocent and unarmed people, including children. I previously called on the Government to bring in an arms embargo, only to be told that all countries have a legitimate right to self-defence and weapons export licences to Israel were “under review”. However, the number of civilian casualties in Gaza has shown that Israel’s actions far exceed legitimate self-defence, and the UK must urgently reconsider its decision to continue selling the weapons which are used for this destruction and murder."

This month of bombing of a part of the world which is already heavily populated and under-resourced has caused a huge amount of damage to houses and property in Gaza, as well as its basic infrastructure. Roger also asked the Foreign Secretary what assistance the UK Government will provide to the people of Palestine to rebuild their lives when the current conflict ends. He called on the Government to urge Israel to end the blockade and allow essential building materials, food and medicine—at the very least—to enter Gaza.