UK activists urge MPs to attend 'crucial and rare' debate on Gaza genocide

Pro-Palestine activists in Britain have launched a campaign urging voters to pressure their MPs to attend and actively participate in a parliamentary debate next week on the risk of genocide in Palestine.

The Palestine Solidarity Campaign (PSC) said on Thursday it had distributed a letter to MPs across parties and to independents, calling on them to take part in a "crucial and rare" debate and to "speak on behalf of Palestinians".

The campaign has also urged British voters to send the letter to their MPs “urgently”, pressing them not only to reflect constituents’ rejection of genocide against Palestinians, but also to confront Britain’s alleged complicity and silence.

James Tooty, campaigns organising officer at PSC, said the organisation had been mobilising for nearly two years to secure the debate.

He told The New Arab that parliamentary allies had worked hard to secure the session, which is allocated to backbench MPs and independents rather than the government.

"This debate provides an opportunity to pressure MPs to demand that the government recognise the reality of genocide in the Gaza Strip," Tooty said, adding that the government should be held accountable for its complicity. He criticised ministers for refusing to even acknowledge the risk of genocide.

The debate follows a request by Scottish National Party MP Brendan O'Hara, who called on parliament to examine the UK's "obligation to assess the risk of genocide" under international law in relation to Palestine.

In its letter, PSC said MPs should demand that the government recognise what it called a "very clear risk of genocide" and fulfil its obligations under the Genocide Convention by acting immediately to prevent it. The letter also stresses that the issue is of "immense importance" to many constituents.

The campaign has repeatedly argued that the ceasefire declared in Gaza has not ended Israel's war on the enclave, saying Palestinians continue to face killing, displacement and deprivation.

It has also warned that Israel continues to block vital humanitarian aid from reaching those most in need.

Founded in 1982, PSC is the largest pro-Palestinian civil society organisation in the UK and has played a central role in mass demonstrations across Britain and Europe since the start of Israel’s war on Gaza in October 2023.

The group has also criticised Israeli policies targeting international humanitarian organisations, noting that in January alone, Israel cancelled the licences of at least 37 international NGOs, including ActionAid, Médecins Sans Frontières and the Norwegian Refugee Council, preventing them from operating in Gaza or the occupied West Bank.

PSC said the measures were aimed at silencing international observers and making life "impossible" for Palestinians.

Since the start of the war, PSC has called on the British government to recognise the risk of genocide and fulfil its obligations under the Genocide Convention.

It has pointed to a growing consensus among UN experts and human rights organisations, including the UN Commission of Inquiry, Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch, Oxfam and the International Association of Genocide Scholars, that Israel's actions amount to genocide.

The British government has repeatedly defended its position amid mounting criticism in parliament.

Responding to questions in the House of Commons earlier this month, Foreign Office Middle East minister Hamish Falconer said the government had taken "decisive action" when it had concerns about Israel’s compliance with international humanitarian law.

He cited measures including halting certain arms exports to Israel, suspending negotiations on a new UK-Israel free trade agreement, and voting in favour of a UN resolution welcoming the International Court of Justice’s advisory opinion on Israel's obligation to allow life-saving humanitarian aid into Gaza.

However, Falconer avoided specifying what further steps the government would take to force Israel to comply with international law, allow unrestricted aid into Gaza and halt killings, despite reports that at least 500 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli fire since the ceasefire came into effect on 10 October last year.