‘I share the overwhelming concern of constituents who have written to me in the last week, that the violence must stop.' Photo: Ruth Cadbury MP
Quaker MPs reject calls for immediate ceasefire in Gaza
Catherine West, Ruth Cadbury and Thangam Debbonaire all abstained from the SNP amendment to the king’s speech that called for an immediate ceasefire.
Three Quaker MPs have rejected Friends’ calls for a ceasefire in Gaza.Earlier this month, Britain Yearly Meeting joined American Friends Service Committee, Canadian Friends Service Committee, Friends Committee on National Legislation, and the Quaker United Nations Office, in saying ‘we insist that a ceasefire must be realized along with the return of all hostages’.
But Catherine West (Hornsey & Wood Green, and shadow foreign minister for Asia & the Pacific), Ruth Cadbury (Brentford & Isleworth), and Thangam Debbonaire (Bristol West, and shadow secretary of state for Culture, Media and Sport) all abstained from the SNP amendment to the king’s speech that called for an immediate ceasefire. This was in line with the Labour whip.
Fifty-six Labour MPs did oppose the party leadership, including ten frontbenchers.
A four-day ceasefire between Israel and Hamas began on Friday 24 November ahead of the release of hostages.
In a long statement on her website Ruth Cadbury wrote: ‘I share the overwhelming concern of constituents who have written to me in the last week, that the violence must stop. Most have asked me to call for a ceasefire, however the challenges of achieving a formal ceasefire are significant and I believe we have a duty to find a credible and sustainable approach. Both parties to the conflict have to agree to, and stick to, a ceasefire, which both Israel or Hamas have made clear they are not prepared to do. I worry that a ceasefire at this moment in time without the release of hostages by Hamas risks freezing the conflict in its current state, which would be disastrous for both Israelis and Palestinian civilians.’
Thangam Debbonaire also issued a statement after the vote: ‘I voted for an end to the violence in Israel and Palestine, and for humanitarian pauses as a necessary step towards an enduring cessation of fighting as soon as possible.’
Describing the ‘horrifying’ situation, she wrote: ‘I believe that as a prospective party of government, Labour’s responsibility is to find and chart a viable diplomatic path all the way to a lasting peace. A ceasefire is on that path but is not yet possible. This is why we pushed successfully for humanitarian pauses in hostilities – not as a goal, but as an achievable first step to provide urgently needed help. Pauses of a few hours are clearly nothing like enough. I am continuing to push for a full and immediate pause in fighting across the whole of Gaza to get more food, fuel, water and medical supplies in.’
Comments
I believe in the right of Israel to exist and I consider the actions of Hamas in attacking Israel amounted to murder. However, I find it surprising that anyone who identifies as being a “Quaker” does not feel able to call for a ceasefire.
Israel has said it will continue its military action until Hamas is destroyed. At what cost to the civilian population? At the time of writing 14,000 have been killed. This appears to amount to collective punishment. The resulting resentment of the Palestinian population will make a settlement harder to achieve and will form the basis of further terrorism, from whatever groups takes over from Hamas in the future.
I feel that the problems identified by Ruth Cadbury associated with a ceasefire are nowhere near as great as the problems arising from the continuation of Israel’s military action. When the IRA was active we did not bomb Belfast or South Armagh or Londonderry/Derry. Nor would we have bombed hospitals, even if there was intelligence suggesting they were being used as secret IRA command centres. This is the equivalent of what Israel is doing in Gaza, so why should anyone associated with the Religious Society of Friends collude with Israel’s actions by not calling for a ceasefire.
I think that Britain Yearly Meeting should consider making a public statement disassociating ourselves from the position of the Quaker MP’s who have declined to call for a ceasefire, because otherwise our position is likely to be misunderstood.
By Richard Pashley on 30th November 2023 - 11:11
I would echo much of what Richard Pashley has noted. Reading the words of Ruth Cadbury they seem to be the standard response generated by other Labour MPs foloowing the ‘party line’ demanded by Keir Starmer.
By andrewrig on 30th November 2023 - 13:59
I’m afraid this is never going to end until Israel can become genuinely what it was brought into being to achieve. That is, be a safe haven for Jews to live in peace, free from persecution and free to practice their religion without fear of retribution. Netanyahu was right when he said the October attacks represented ‘an existential threat’ to Israel. Of all the countries in the world with a sizeable Jewish community, which is the one that is the least safe for Jews to live in? Israel!
Of course, the advantage is with Hamas because all they need to do is keep killing Jews to render the purpose of Israel’s very existence irrelevant… Both sides, at the extremes, are saying the same thing - get these effing people out of my country - about each other. This is why I worry the current war will continue - until the USA instructs Israel to stop by threatening to withdraw its military supplies. And then we will have an uneasy truce, perhaps for a couple of years, maybe more, until the next time. And the next time.
Remember the ‘two state solution’ is not what it seems. It is a cover for Israel to continue to do what it has done for decades and that is to in effect remove Palestinians from the country economically, so that Israel cannot ever experience demographically the equivalent of what Northern Ireland is now experiencing, namely a growing desire from the voting public as that itself changes, to become part of Ireland.
That is not an option for Israel, to become essentially a part of the Muslim Middle East. Because it is the only country in the world, where Judaism is the state religion. And it must remain that way, otherwise Israel has no reason to exist. Destroying Gaza, leveling it as seems to be doing in its pursuit of Hamas, helps in that regard by the way, because it displaces the population. Which will increase the misery within the Palestinians quite understandably and thus recruit more fighters to Hamas. And at the same time, Israel will not tolerate, cannot allow Palestinians ever becoming a majority in Israel.
Which simply brings us back to the beginning of this comment. It is an endless cycle of violence, unless the international community does what it will not do anymore, and that is impose a solution with large numbers of peace-keeping troops on the ground to stop the fighting. And those days are long-gone!!
By markrdibben@gmail.com on 1st December 2023 - 9:11
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