A joint letter implores PM to explicitly condemn Israel

Leading UK NGOs have urged Rishi Sunak to condemn Israel’s war against Hamas in Gaza.

Oxfam, Christian Aid, Medical Aid for Palestinians and Islamic Relief want the prime minster to use his authority to call for a ceasfire in the region amid mounting casualties.

Sunak is due to speak at a global food summit today in London (20 November) as aid groups say 2 million people in Gaza are going hungry with 1 million children on the brink of starvation.

The 12 NGOs have penned a joint letter stating: “Private diplomacy by Israel’s allies has failed to end its month-long siege of food, fuel, water and other aid.

“Civilians are suffering as a result, but so too is the UK’s reputation as custodian of UN security council resolution 2417, which forbids the use of starvation as a weapon of war.”

A UN resolution passed in 2018 outlaws starvation as a method of war.

The letter further states: “The world has everything it needs to start saving lives in Gaza today, but unless Israel agrees to an immediate ceasefire and to allow food, fuel and other aid to enter, we will all be relegated to powerless bystanders, forced to watch from the sidelines as scores of civilians die from starvation at the hands of a UK ally.

“Beating world hunger is not just about resources, it’s about political choices: choices about how the world nurtures and sustains the environment and our food systems; choices about how governments shape their societies so the vulnerable are protected; choices about how countries, and their militaries, conduct themselves when civilians are caught up in armed conflict.”