Hundreds of people gathered outside Downing Street in the British capital on Friday after a visit by the Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that commenced today to meet with his British counterpart Rishi Sunak. The protest was called for by the Palestinian Forum in Britain (PFB) Palestine Solidarity Campaign (PSC) Stop the War Coalition Friends of Al-Aqsa and Muslim Association of Britain (MAB).
Since the start of the year 90 Palestinians (including 17 children and 1 woman) have been killed across the Occupied Palestinian Territories. With this year being one of the bloodiest years for Palestinians in decades state-sponsored terrorism – such as the recent pogrom in the Palestinian village of Huwwara – symbolizes a reality whereby the human security of Palestinians is increasingly coming under threat the PFB said in a statement.
With Netanyahu at the helm of these developments the PFB is shocked that he is being welcomed with open arms to the United Kingdom. Netanyahu not only has a long history of human rights violations against Palestinians – including the expansion of illegal settlements in the West Bank the bombing of Gaza and the construction of a separation wall – but has also been singled out for criticism by Israelis themselves. Indeed both former Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and 1000 leading Israeli cultural figures (including author David Grossman and novelist Dorit Rabinyan) have called for the UK to cancel Netanyahu’s visit on the basis of his move towards growing authoritarianism and anti-Palestine racism.
“Amidst these developments the UK – rather than welcome Netanyahu with open arms – should be issuing an arrest warrant for him for the war crimes he has committed against the Palestinian people’ said Zaher Birawi Chairman of the PFB. Birawi also added that it is “imperative for all people of conscience to reject this visit and to call for the deportation of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.”
The protest was mainly led by youths who expressed their anger at the presence of a criminal responsible for the killing of hundreds of Palestinians and the misery of thousands. Additionally a large group of Jewish activists were present at the protest and expressed their deepest concerns about Netanyahu’s visit.
The British public have certainly sent a message to the government that Israeli officials are not welcome in the UK and that while the UK is going through a vicious dispute with Russia for the war raged on Ukraine it is also expected to take a similar position against Israel for the killing and terrorization of Palestinians on a daily basis.
A Jews for Justice spokesperson delivered a speech during the protest through which he compared the Israeli government to the Jewish concentration camps during World War II saying that “nothing has changed the Huwara massacre is a lineage to the 19 massacres in 1948 Sabra and Chatila Jenin massacres bombardments of Gaza the March of Return assassinations the Jerusalem the Palestinian child prisoners many in solitary confinement.”
This protest among many other means of expression proves the fact that the public opinion is inclined towards the boycott of Israel by all means for that it is viewed as a terrorist entity and should be treated as such
