Some 38 Labour MPs and four Labour peers have written to David Lammy, slamming President Donald Trump’s proposal that the US take over Gaza as “ethnic cleansing” and urging the Foreign Secretary to make the government’s opposition clear.
LabourList has learned 68 parliamentarians in total have signed the letter, which calls on Lammy to recognise an independent Palestine and voice the government’s disapproval “in no uncertain terms”.
It means almost one in 10 Labour MPs has signed the letter, threatening to reopen recent difficult party tensions over Israel-Palestine.
Trump said the US could take over and rebuild the Gaza Strip, with its Palestinian population resettled elsewhere to live in “peace and harmony”.
He said the US could turn the territory into “the Riviera of the Middle East”, adding: “This could be so magnificent.”
Downing Street declines to condemn Trump
Lammy said on Wednesday that “we must see Palestinians able to live and prosper in their homelands, in Gaza, in the West Bank, that is what we want to get to”.
But it comes after a Downing Street spokesperson echoed ministers earlier in the day in highlighting the UK government’s different stance, but declining to explicitly condemn Donald Trump.
Westminster journalists pressed the spokesperson at a lobby briefing on whether Trump’s proposals were good or bad, amounted to “ethnic cleansing”, were compatible with a two-state solution, or would be raised by the PM with Trump in future discussions.
READ MORE: Sarah Owen: ‘Trump’s set out a nightmare vision for Gaza – the UK must offer an alternative’
The spokesperson said that the UK position was support for a two-state solution, that Palestinians must be able to return, and that the UK would work with the US and other allies.
Other opposition parties have been more openly critical of the US President.
The latest letter was signed by 38 Labour MPs as of early evening on Wednesday: eight independents, four Plaid Cymru, two SNP, two SDLP and one Alliance MP.
It was also signed by four Labour peers, four crossbench andnon-affiliated peers, four Lib Dem peers and one from Plaid Cymru, according to co-ordinators’ analysis.
Trump comments are ‘abominable’
Starmer said in the Commons on Wednesday: “The most important issue on the ceasefire is obviously that it is sustained and that we see it through the phases, and that means that the remaining hostages come out and the aid that is desperately needed gets into Gaza at speed and at the volumes that are needed
“They must be allowed home. They must be allowed to rebuild, and we should be with them in that rebuild on the way to a two-state solution.”
Labour MP for Tooting, Dr Rosena Allin-Khan, who co-ordinated the letter, said President Trump’s plans amounted to the “forcible removal and dispossession of an entire population”.
“The comments made by President Trump last night are abominable. Let us be clear that this would not be a gesture of humanitarianism or compassion. On the contrary, it would amount to forcible removal and dispossession of an entire population. It would be ethnic cleansing.”
She said now was the time to recognise an independent Palestinian state and to bring “sustainable peace” for Israelis and Palestinians alike.
The government was approached for comment.
Full text of the letter and signatories
Dear Foreign Secretary,
Condemning President Trump’s plan for Gaza
Last night, President Donald Trump announced plans to take over Gaza and forcibly resettle the Gazan population into a different area. We would like to express our outrage and ask that you take urgent steps to prevent this, including voicing the Government’s disapproval in no uncertain terms.
This is not a humanitarian gesture of compassion – it is the forced removal of a population and a plan to ethnically cleanse Gaza. The United Nations and the European Union have both described ethnic cleansing in the following terms:
“… using force or intimidation to remove from a given area, persons of another ethnic or religious group.”
The world intervened in the former Yugoslavia in the 1990s and roundly condemned ethnic cleansing in Rwanda. We must meet these plans to remove millions of Palestinians from their homes, naked as they are, with the same robust response.
Given the horrors which we have seen take place across Gaza in recent months, the international community should be focusing on ensuring Phase 2 of the ceasefire agreement materialises. These barbaric proposals by President Trump seriously risk destabilising the region and wrecking the ceasefire agreement. The result of this will be a return to war, more death and destruction in Gaza, and failure to secure the safe release of all hostages.
The war in Gaza has already severely hampered the vision of a two-state solution. The UK and the wider international community has long lauded a two-state solution as the only means for sustainable peace in the region, but, if carried out, this plan from President Trump would be its final death knell. Now is the time to finally take action, put a two-state solution back on track, and immediately recognise an independent Palestinian state in East Jerusalem, the West Bank and Gaza.
President Trump’s plan is an affront to the values that we hold dear. Will the Government stand firm and condemn President Trump’s stated aim to take over and forcibly remove the Palestinian population of Gaza? Further to this, can you confirm that there will be no UK support or involvement in this disgraceful plan? Finally, will you work with the international community to support UN resolutions opposing any proposed ethnic cleansing of Gaza?
Alongside this, the Government must commit to honouring its commitments under international law to prevent war crimes, such as ethnic cleansing. President Trump has taken a sledgehammer to the international order and the peace process in the Middle East can only succeed with the full support of the international community, including the United States.
Best wishes,
Diane Abbott MP
Shockat Adam MP
Tahir Ali MP
Rosena Allin-Khan MP
Mike Amesbury MP
Paula Barker MP
Lorraine Beavers MP
Apsana Begum MP
Richard Burgon MP
Baroness Burt of Solihull
Dawn Butler MP
Ian Byrne MP
Irene Campbell MP
Lord Cashman
Jeremy Corbyn MP
Stella Creasy MP
Ann Davies MP
Lord Davies of Brixton
Marsha de Cordova MP
Rosie Duffield MP
Neil Duncan-Jordan MP
Colum Eastwood MP
Sorcha Eastwood MP
Cat Eccles MP
Mary Kelly Foy MP
Lord Freyberg
Claire Hanna MP
Imran Hussain MP
Kim Johnson MP
Afzal Khan MP
Ayoub Khan MP
Ben Lake MP
Peter Lamb
Ian Lavery MP
Chris Law MP
Graham Leadbitter MP
Clive Lewis MP
Baroness Lister of Burtersett
Lord Mackenzie of Framwellgate
Rachael Maskell MP
Andy McDonald MP
John McDonnell MP
Frank McNally MP
Llinos Medi MP
Abtisam Mohamed MP
Grahame Morris MP
Simon Opher MP
Kate Osamor MP
Peter Prinsley MP
Yasmin Qureshi MP
Lord Rennard
Bell Ribeiro-Addy MP
Liz Saville-Roberts MP
Lord Singh of Wimbledon
Andrew Slaughter MP
Cat Smith MP
Euan Stainbank MP
Zarah Sultana MP
Baroness Thornhill
Baroness Uddin
Valerie Vaz MP
Lord Wallace of Saltaire
Matt Western MP
Nadia Whittome MP
Lord Wigley
Sean Woodcock MP
Mohammad Yasin MP
Lord Young of Norwood Green
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