Miliband’s weak and belated plea on Gaza

 LABOUR leader Ed Miliband last week condemned David Cameron’s “silence” on the genocidal onslaught by Israel on the people of Gaza, which has been continuing now for a month.

Miliband said that Cameron’s “silence” on the issue was “inexplicable” and called on the Prime Minister to publicly oppose the deaths of “hundreds of innocent Palestinians”, which he said was “wrong and unjustifiable”.

Cameron’s response was to accuse Miliband of “undermining attempts at peace negotiations”. As the carnage raged, Cameron told Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu he had his "strong support" for Israel's right to take "proportionate action" to defend itself.

Earlier this year Miliband visited Israel and was shown sites where Hamas rockets have landed in the past.

Appearing on LBC radio last weekend, Miliband said: "If I was David Cameron... I would be spending my time on doing everything I can to put pressure on both sides to have that ceasefire that is required.

"I think he is in the wrong place on this, because I agree with him about Hamas – Hamas is a terrible and disgusting organisation – but I think he should have said from the outset that this incursion by Israel into Gaza was not going to solve the problem."

So there is little hope for justice for the Palestinians from either the Tory of Labour leadership.

But clearly the stance of both is being affected by the massive and rising level of protests throughout the country and the world at the continuing massacre.

Last Friday 1^st August saw another massive demonstration outside London’s Israeli embassy and on Saturday 2^nd August pro-Palestinian demonstrators occupied the BBC in Bristol for its biased reporting of the ongoing massacre.

Campaigners occupied the lawn outside BBC Bristol over its Gaza reporting.

"Seems likely to be the only time an occupation is commented on,” said comedian Mark Thomas.

“If BBC coverage of Israel’s systematic destruction of lives wasn’t sufficient to make people hot under the collar, the corporation’s justification of its role should do so,” said a spokesperson.

“Our role is to explain what is happening and why and we endeavour to reflect a range of voices amid deeply held views.

“If that’s what it’s supposed to do, the BBC is failing its own criteria. At no time do its correspondents explain that the Palestinians are a people under military occupation and that Israel is pursuing a relentless colonisation of the West Bank, which, under the 1993 Oslo accords, is supposed to be the site of an independent Palestinian state.

“Israeli occupation forces should have evacuated the land they conquered in 1967 so a Palestinian Authority could be established and a permanent settlement finalised.

One reason alone stymied that agreement — Tel Aviv’s refusal to end its occupation of the West Bank, preferring instead to construct Jews-only settlements and infrastructure.”