MP condemns Israeli actions over Gaza deaths

Tony Lloyd, MP for Rochdale

Tony Lloyd, MP for Rochdale, condemns Israeli actions against Gazans during recent violence on the border between Israel and Gaza.

Over 60 Palestinian protestors were killed by the Israeli Defence Force at the border earlier this week, and thousands were injured. 

The United States moved its embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, the sovereignty of which is contested by both Israel and Palestine, on Monday 14 May 2018.

Tony Lloyd said: “Any normal human being should be horrified by this week’s events on the border between Israel and Gaza. This is not about the long-term two-state solution, nor is it about the many issues that bedevil the Middle East. It is about the massive disproportionality in the way the Israeli Defence Force chose to police demonstrations.

“When the Israeli ambassador talks of the “surgical” use of live fire, it sends a cold shudder down the spine, especially when these actions have led to the deaths of children among people more generally. 

“I fully endorse the Labour view that the Israeli actions amount to criminality. There must now be an independent enquiry, and the call of the United Nations for de-escalation can only be right. 

“The deliberate decision to move the US embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem on the 70th anniversary of the creation of the state of Israel was provocative and designed to be so. The triumphalism displayed by Prime Minister Netanyahu was ill-befitting and drew sharp contrast with what is happening on the border. This was the killing of innocent people, including children and, as I understand it, journalists who were clearly marked as such.”