On Saturday 15 May, as the bombs were raining down over Gaza, 150,000 people shut down the streets of London and laid siege on the Israeli embassy. It was a sight to behold. People of all ages, from all communities came together, united in rage and solidarity. It was one of 77 protests taking place across the UK and marked the biggest Palestine protests since 2014.
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, schools and key infrastructure. The ceasefire had been on the table for a week, but with the backing of Biden vetoing a UN call for a ceasefire thrice, Israel repeatedly rejected it and deliberately chose to escalate its bombardment no matter the civilian casualties.
The ceasefire is welcome. It will wind down the barbarity we have witnessed in the last eleven 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 operation end.
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, schools and key infrastructure. The ceasefire had been on the table for a week, but with the backing of Biden vetoing a UN call for a ceasefire thrice, Israel repeatedly rejected it and deliberately chose to escalate its bombardment no matter the civilian casualties.
The ceasefire is welcome. It will wind down the barbarity we have witnessed in the last eleven 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 operation end.
