Justice for Palestinians members meet Leamington and Warwick MP to discuss Gaza crisis
Jewish founder members of Justice for Palestinians (JfP), Bernard and Sally Davies, were part of a delegation who met Warwick and Leamington Matt Western MP to discuss the situation in Gaza and the West Bank recently.
They thanked him for the statements he has made about what is increasingly being recognised as a “genocide” and for his recognition of the State of Palestine.
Mr Western agreed to follow up a number of issues which were raised with him, including the presence of Israeli weapons makers at an arms fair in London next month.
JfP has held more than 90 weekly vigils since October 2023 on Saturday mornings, alternating between Leamington, Kenilworth and Warwick.
The group was originally formed in 2009 by Jewish residents of Leamington, who were quickly joined by non-Jews.
At the meeting Bernard commented: ‘Many Jewish people have come under criticism in the past for supporting the rights of the Palestinian people but, as I have seen in my wider family, many Jews have come to recognise that the behaviour of the Israeli government is now beyond defence.
"There will not be peace for Israel until there is peace and justice for the Palestinians.”
Mr Western declined to comment on the meeting in the same way he did when asked for a comment in response to protests over the “genocide and famine” in Gaza outside his office at Leamington Town Hall recently.
But he has said the Government’s recent announcement on the recognition of a Palestinian state is “hugely welcome” and called it “a crucial step in solving the crisis in the region”.
On July 29, Prime Minister Sir Kier Starmer said the UK would “recognise the state of Palestine by the United Nations General Assembly in September unless the Israeli government takes substantive steps to end the appalling situation in Gaza, agree to a ceasefire and commit to a long-term, sustainable peace, reviving the prospect of a Two State Solution”.
Sir Keir said this move would include "allowing the UN to restart the supply of aid, and making clear there will be no annexations in the West Bank”
His message to Hamas was that “they must immediately release all the hostages, sign up to a ceasefire, disarm and accept that they will play no part in the government of Gaza”.
The next stage in the process would be an assessment in September on how far the parties have met these steps.
Mr Western called this move by the Government “momentous and the first time in decades that there has been a real possibility of Palestine being recognised”.
He acknowledged that the move "would not solve the crisis overnight” but said “it is a crucial step to delivering desperately needed peace and stability in the region”.
He added: “The scenes in Gaza are beyond appalling with children who are so starving, they are just skin and bones, people being shot at as they attempt to access the aid they so badly need.
“The recognition of Palestine will not solve this overnight, but it will bring us closer to a two-state solution which is the only viable solution for peace in the region.”