A photo of Green Party co-leaders Carla Denyer and Adrian Ramsay

Securing a long term political settlement to ongoing violence must begin with an end to Israel’s illegal occupation of Palestine, the Green Party has said. The party has issued a statement following the attack on Israel by the military wing of Hamas and the intensive military offensive launched by the Israeli government in Gaza in response.

Green Party co-leader Adrian Ramsay said: “Our first thoughts are with the hundreds of innocent victims and their families who are faced with the devastating and escalating violence. Most of whom have an overriding desire to live in peace. 

“The Green Party calls for an immediate end to the violence in Israel and Palestine. The targeting of civilians is an outrageous breach of international law and is unacceptable under all circumstances.

“We urge the international community to take immediate steps to protect civilian life and infrastructure from attack, and to launch immediate humanitarian relief efforts. 

“The long absence of a meaningful political dialogue and peace process has created a vacuum into which those who offer violence as a solution prosper. The pathway to ending these waves of violence and bringing about a long-term political settlement must begin with an end to illegal occupation. 

“The UN Security Council, of which the UK is a permanent member, must act to prevent the spread of the conflict to neighbouring states such as Lebanon and Iran. They have so far failed to agree any new political initiative to address the fundamental causes of these latest acts of violence. For the sake of thousands of people on both sides in this conflict, they urgently need to do so.”

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Image credit: Public domain