250,00 marched in London yesterday as part of 77 protests taking place across the UK - these were the biggest Palestinian protests since 2014. In our small town we held a rally in front of the town hall.
Israel has now agreed to a ceasefire in Gaza, but only after killing over 230 Palestinians, almost a third of them children, and only after bombing homes, medical facilities including the only Covid testing centre), schools and key infrastructure.
The ceasefire is very welcome. It will wind down the barbarity we have witnessed in the last 11 days. But, as the BBC's Paul Adams admitted: 'these episodes follow a familiar pattern: Israel presses home its undoubted military advantage until the international outcry over civilian casualties, and a deteriorating humanitarian situation in Gaza, demand that the operations end'. Israel has routinised the mass killing of Palestinians in high intensity episodes, and then retreating a return to the status quo of its continued occupation as peace - and doing it with complete impunity.
But, the occupation isn't over. There can be no justice for the Palestinians while the siege of Gaza continues, while the occupation contnues, while apartheid continues.
In practice the siege of Gaza means: 95% of water is undrinkable; there are 4 hours of electricity per day; 45% unemployment; 46% of children suffer acute anaemia; 50% of children express no will to live; 2 million are denied freedom of movement.
There were speeches, and the names of those who have been killed in the last 11 days were read out.
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