Dear Prime Minister, The Rt Hon Sir Keir Starmer KCB KC MP
And Foreign Secretary, The Rt Hon. David Lammy MP
And Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan and Pakistan) Hamish Falconer MP
CC
HE Tzipi Hotovely, Ambassador of Israel to the Court of St. James’s
Matthew Palmer, Chargé d’Affaires, Embassy of the United States, London
We are writing to you as active members of the British Jewish community, and Israelis living in the UK, who are appalled by the shocking remarks from President Trump, with support from Netanyahu’s government, pledging to take over the Gaza Strip and forcibly and permanently expel Palestinians from the territory. This plan would be a grave violation of international law, and amount to ethnic cleansing.
The plan, which would involve transferring over 2 million Palestinians to unknown locations in neighbouring countries, will be a catastrophic denial of the right of Palestinians to live in freedom and dignity in their own state.
In addition, the President is considering supporting plans for Israeli annexation of the West Bank. If these plans go ahead they will lead to an inevitable escalation of the conflict, and will also deny security to both Israelis and Palestinians, who will pay the price for this disaster with their lives.
Further, by needlessly jeopardizing the next stage of the currently fragile ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas, President Trump and Prime Minister Netanyahu are putting the lives of the hostages who remain in captivity in Gaza at grave risk.
We call on the British government to do all it can, along with international partners, to prevent such a catastrophe from unfolding. The British Prime Minister and Foreign Secretary must apply significant pressure through diplomatic channels, and make it clear that the rest of the international community will not accept American occupation of the Gaza Strip, and the forced displacement and ethnic cleansing of Gazans from their homes.
As British Jews and as Israelis living in the UK who support a peaceful future for Israelis and Palestinians, we believe it is essential that the British government takes a firm stance against these dangerous plans, and protects a possibility of freedom, dignity and security for all.
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