As the Israeli state continues to commit war crimes in the Gaza strip with the backing of the political establishment of the UK, the undersigned residents of Brighton and Hove ask Peter Kyle MP to:

Denounce Israel’s illegal use of excessive force against the people of Gaza, just as he has rightly denounced Hamas’ killings.

Call for an immediate ceasefire and the admittance of unconditional humanitarian aid into Gaza.

Demand a stop to the reckless arming of Israel, who use these weapons to bomb innocent civilians and non-military targets.

The UN General Secretary was right to state that the abhorrent violence of Hamas did not occur in a vacuum. Israel’s own policies of division, occupation and violence have driven the killings of Hamas and are the critical reason this conflict continues. Lazy affirmations of being ‘pro-israel’ and ‘pro-palestine’ do nothing to serve the innocent people who will suffer immense violence as a result of this conflict. The only sensible policy is to call for an immediate and total ceasefire.

To give the state of Israel unconditional support only serves to enable their use of excessive force on the civilians of Gaza. Force that will lead to nothing but more bloodshed, destruction and sorrow for people trapped on the ground. Israel’s evacuation orders have been described as a death sentence for the sick and injured, while those that do follow them are still being killed in the south. Simple pleas for the admittance of aid are a drop in the ocean, what is needed is a total and immediate ceasefire.

In spite of this, the Conservative government has denied calls for a total ceasefire and backed Israel to ‘win’ while staying silent on the plight of the Palestinian people in Gaza. While we applaud the Opposition’s demand that humanitarian aid be provided for the people of Gaza, this does nothing to stop the collective punishment they suffer for a crime they did not commit.

The Labour party was founded on the principles of respect for human rights and international law. Continued unequivocal support for Israel only allows their government to carry on their illegal warfare unimpeded. There is a critical difference between having the right to defend yourself and the indiscriminate bombing of residential buildings and non-military targets.

There can be no winners in this conflict, it will only result in the further loss of innocent life. With Israel readying itself for a ground assault on Gaza, there being a real risk of the conflict expanding across the middle east, now is the critical moment to call for an immediate ceasefire. Something that 76% of Britons agree with.