Northern Irish politicians lead petition for Prime Minister to recall parliament over Gaza crisis
A letter, led by the SDLP party, has been sent to Mr Starmer calling for urgent diplomatic intervention, an end to arms sales to Israel, and the immediate delivery of humanitarian aid to the war-torn region.
It has been signed by members of Parliament as well as members of the Northern Ireland Assembly, the Scottish Parliament, and Senedd Cymru in Wales.
'Ever growing numbers of people across these islands have shown their horror and anguish at the events unfolding before our eyes in Gaza,' SDLP Leader Claire Hanna MP said.
'The situation is deteriorating, with more people dying every day. The people of Gaza don't have the luxury of waiting any longer for the UK Government to act.
'Today the SDLP is leading parties in giving voice to the despair and anger at the UK Government's failure to stand up to Netanyahu.
Prime Minister Keir Starmer is currently enjoying a summer break while Parliament in is recess (Pic: Rolling News)
'Our voice may be the only tool we have, but together it is a powerful one - reflecting the depth of feeling of our constituents and highlighting the failure of the Prime Minister and his government to do all in their power to protect the people of Gaza.'
There are 12 signatories to the letter, including Northern Ireland First Minister Michelle O'Neill, Scottish Liberal Democrats MP Alistair Carmichael and Plaid Cymru Leader Rhun ap Iorwerth.
'We are demanding the immediate recall of Parliament and an intervention that sends a clear message to the Israeli Government that this cannot continue,' Ms Hanna said.
'The Prime Minister must make it clear to Netanyahu that the UK will no longer stand by while he carries out genocide against the people of Gaza.
'From banning arms sales to Israel, to ensuring the immediate supply of humanitarian aid and the recognition of Palestine without strings attached, there is much more that the UK Government can do to take a stand against Netanyahu.
'The people of Gaza have no time to lose, and we stand united with other parties today in calling for this long-overdue action.'
The House of Commons is currently set to re-open after its summer recess on Monday, September 1.
See More: Claire Hanna, Gaza, Petition, Prime Minister Keir Starmer, SDLP
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
RTÉ News
33 minutes ago
- RTÉ News
Israel says military operation in Gaza City has begun
Israel's military announced the first steps of an operation to take over Gaza City and called up tens of thousands of reservists while the government considered a new ceasefire proposal to pause nearly two years of war. "We have begun the preliminary operations and the first stages of the attack on Gaza City, and already now IDF forces are holding the outskirts of Gaza City," Brigadier General Effie Defrin, Israel's military spokesman said. A military official briefing reporters earlier said reserve soldiers would not report for duty until September, an interval that gives mediators some time to bridge gaps between Hamas and Israel over truce terms. But after Israeli troops clashed with Hamas fighters in the Palestinian enclave, Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office said the Israeli leader sped up the timeline for taking control of Hamas strongholds and defeating the militant group that triggered the conflict with an attack on Israel in October 2023. The Israeli statements signalled Israel was pressing ahead with its plan to seize Gaza's biggest urban centre despite international criticism of an operation likely to force the displacement of many more Palestinians. Mr Defrin said troops were already operating on the outskirts of Gaza City, and Hamas was now a "battered and bruised" guerrilla force. "We will deepen the attack on Hamas in Gaza City, a stronghold of governmental and military terror for the terrorist organization," the spokesman said. Israel's military called up tens of thousands of reservists in preparation for the expected assault on Gaza City, as the Israeli government considered a new truce proposal. Israel's security cabinet, chaired by Mr Netanyahu, approved a plan this month to expand the campaign in Gaza with the aim of taking Gaza City, where Israeli forces waged fierce urban warfare with Hamas in the early stages of the war. Israel currently holds about 75% of Gaza. Many of Israel's closest allies have urged the government to reconsider, but Mr Netanyahu is under pressure from some far-right members of his coalition to reject a temporary ceasefire, continue the war and pursue the annexation of the territory. One far-right member, Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, announced final approval of a widely condemned Israeli plan for a settlement project in the occupied West Bank that he said would erase any prospect of a Palestinian state. The war in Gaza began on 7 October 2023, when gunmen led by Hamas attacked southern Israeli communities near the border, killing some 1,200 people, mainly civilians, and taking 251 hostages including children into Gaza, according to Israeli figures. Over 62,000 Palestinians have been killed in Israel's air and ground war in Gaza since then, according to Gaza health officials, who do not say how many were militants but have said most of those killed have been women and children. Hamas has accepted a proposal put forward by Arab mediators for a 60-day ceasefire that would involve releasing some of the remaining hostages and freeing Palestinian prisoners in Israel. The Israeli government, which has said all the 50 remaining hostages must be released at once, says it is studying the proposal. Israeli authorities believe that 20 hostages are still alive. Many Gazans and foreign leaders fear a storming of Gaza City would cause significant casualties. Israel says it will help civilians leave battle zones before any assault begins. Israeli troops, Hamas fighters clash Israeli troops have clashed with more than 15 Hamas militants who emerged from tunnel shafts and attacked with gunfire and anti-tank missiles near Khan Younis, south of Gaza City, severely wounding one soldier and lightly wounding two others, an Israeli military official said. In a statement, Hamas' Al-Qassam Brigades confirmed carrying out a raid on Israeli troops southeast of Khan Younis and engaging Israeli troops at point-blank range. It said one fighter blew himself up among the soldiers, causing casualties, during an attack that lasted several hours. Israel's military campaign has caused widespread devastation across Gaza, which before the war was home to about 2.3 million Palestinians. Many buildings including homes, schools and mosques have been destroyed, while the military has accused Hamas of operating from within civilian infrastructure, which Hamas denies. Israeli officials have said evacuation orders would be issued to Gaza City residents before any force moves in. The Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem, which oversees Gaza's only Catholic Church, located in Gaza City, said it received reports that neighbourhoods near the small parish had started to receive evacuation notices. Hamas, an Islamist movement that has ruled Gaza for almost two decades, has been severely weakened by the war. Hamas has said it would release all remaining hostages in exchange for an end to war. Israel says it will not end the war before Hamas disarms. Opinion polls show strong Israeli public support for ending the war if it ensures the release of the hostages, and a rally in Tel Aviv urging the government to pursue such a deal drew a huge crowd on Saturday. A new Reuters/Ipsos poll of Americans showed a 58% majority believe that every country in the United Nations should recognise Palestine as a nation
Irish Independent
an hour ago
- Irish Independent
Benjamin Netanyahu is war hero and so am I
Speaking to conservative radio host Mark Levin, Mr Trump said he was working with the Israeli prime minister to free Hamas-held hostages, adding that Mr Netanyahu is 'a good man, he's in there fighting'. Despite the Israeli prime minister's detractors wanting him jailed as a war criminal following a November 2024 arrest warrant for alleged war crimes in the Gaza conflict issued by the International Criminal Court, Mr Trump insisted: 'He's a war hero.' Mr Trump, who also claims to have ended seven wars, then extended the accolade to himself, saying: 'He's a war hero, cause we worked together. He's a war hero. I guess I am too.' He continued: 'Nobody cares. I am too. I sent those planes,' a reference to his order for June airstrikes against three critical enrichment facilities in Iran. Throughout the interview, Mr Trump complained he had not received sufficient credit for ordering those airstrikes or other recent actions he has taken aimed at easing global conflict. For his part, Mr Netanyahu has previously called Mr Trump 'the greatest friend Israel has ever had', and in July presented him with a nomination for the Nobel Peace Prize. Mr Trump's most infamous comments about war heroes in the past included denying that the late senator John McCain was a war hero because he had been captured and held as a prisoner of war. Mr Trump avoided serving in Vietnam with four college deferrals. In 2018, Mr Trump reportedly snubbed a commemoration for the 100th anniversary of WWI at the Aisne-Marne American Cemetery in Belleau, fearing his hair would become dishevelled in the rain, The Atlantic reported in 2020. 'Why should I go to that cemetery? It's filled with losers,' Mr Trump reportedly told staffers. The then-president also called the more than 1,800 Marines buried there 'suckers' elsewhere during his 2018 trip in France, per The Atlantic. John Kelly, a former Marine Corps general and the White House chief of staff at the time, attended in Mr Trump's place. Mr Kelly, whose son was killed in action serving in Afghanistan in 2010, later told CNN that Mr Trump had indeed made the derogatory remarks.
Irish Independent
an hour ago
- Irish Independent
Israel calls up 60,000 reservists as first stage in Gaza City takeover begins
'We have begun the preliminary operations and the first stages of the attack on Gaza City, and already now IDF forces are holding the outskirts of Gaza City,' Brigadier General Effie Defrin, Israel's military spokesman, told reporters. A military official briefing reporters earlier said reserve soldiers would not report for duty until September, an interval that would give mediators some time to bridge gaps between Hamas and Israel over truce terms. But after Israeli troops clashed with Hamas fighters in the Palestinian enclave yesterday, prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office said the Israeli leader sped up the timeline for taking control of Hamas strongholds and defeating the militant group that triggered the conflict with an attack on Israel in October 2023. The Israeli statements signalled Israel was pressing ahead with its plan to seize Gaza's biggest urban centre despite international criticism of an operation likely to force the displacement of many more Palestinians. Brig Gen Defrin said troops were already operating on the outskirts of Gaza City, and Hamas was now a 'battered and bruised' guerrilla force. 'We will deepen the attack on Hamas in Gaza City, a stronghold of governmental and military terror for the terrorist organisation,' the spokesman said. Israel's security cabinet, chaired by Mr Netanyahu, approved a plan this month to expand the campaign in Gaza with the aim of taking Gaza City, where Israeli forces waged fierce urban warfare with Hamas in the early stages of the war. Israel currently holds about 75pc of the Gaza Strip. Many of Israel's closest allies have urged the government to reconsider, but Mr Netanyahu is under pressure from some far-right members of his coalition to reject a temporary ceasefire, continue the war and pursue the annexation of the territory. One far-right member, finance minister Bezalel Smotrich, announced final approval yesterday of a widely condemned Israeli plan for a settlement project in the occupied West Bank that he said would erase any prospect of a Palestinian state. The war in Gaza began on October 7, 2023, when gunmen led by Hamas attacked southern Israeli communities near the border, killing 1,200 people, mainly civilians, and taking 251 hostages including children into Gaza, according to Israeli figures. Over 62,000 Palestinians have been killed in Israel's air and ground war in Gaza since then, according to Gaza health officials, who do not say how many were militants but have said most of those killed have been women and children. ADVERTISEMENT Learn more Hamas has accepted a proposal put forward by Arab mediators for a 60-day ceasefire that would involve releasing some of the remaining hostages and freeing Palestinian prisoners in Israel. The Israeli government, which has said all the 50 remaining hostages must be released at once, is studying the proposal. Israeli authorities believe that 20 hostages are still alive. Many Gazans and foreign leaders fear a storming of Gaza City would cause significant casualties. Israel said it will help civilians leave battle zones before any assault begins. Israeli troops clashed yesterday with more than 15 Hamas militants who emerged from tunnel shafts and attacked with gunfire and anti-tank missiles near Khan Younis, south of Gaza City, severely wounding one soldier and lightly wounding two others, an Israeli military official said. In a statement, Hamas' Al-Qassam Brigades confirmed carrying out a raid on Israeli troops southeast of Khan Younis and engaging Israeli troops at point-blank range. It said one fighter blew himself up among the soldiers, causing casualties, during an attack that lasted several hours. Israel's military campaign has caused widespread devastation across the Gaza Strip, which before the war was home to about 2.3 million Palestinians. Many buildings including homes, schools and mosques have been destroyed, while the military has accused Hamas of operating from within civilian infrastructure, which Hamas denies. Israeli officials have said evacuation orders would be issued to Gaza City residents before any force moves in. The Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem, which oversees Gaza's only Catholic church, located in Gaza City, said it received reports that neighbourhoods near the small parish had started to receive evacuation notices. Hamas, an Islamist movement that has ruled Gaza for almost two decades, has been severely weakened by the war. Hamas has said it would release all remaining hostages in exchange for an end to war. Israel says it will not end the war before Hamas disarms. Opinion polls show strong Israeli public support for ending the war if it ensures the release of the hostages, and a rally in Tel Aviv urging the government to pursue such a deal drew a huge crowd on Saturday. A new Reuters/Ipsos poll of Americans showed a 58pc majority believe that every country in the UN should recognise Palestine as a nation.
