Sheffield Palestine campaigners quiz May 2 city council election candidates on war in Gaza

The Sheffield Palestine Coalition Against Israeli Apartheid is urging supporters to ask election candidates about their views on the current conflict in Gaza.

Leaders of the four political groups on the city council issued a joint statement just ahead of the start of the March pre-election period in response to a 7,500-signature petition calling on the council to stand in “unity and solidarity” with Palestinians, as they did with Ukrainians.

The petition also welcomed the work of the International Court of Justice, urged the council to accept the Amnesty International designation of Israel as an “apartheid state” and declare Sheffield an Israeli Apartheid Free Zone, as the council did in 1981 in condemnation of South Africa.

It was presented to a full council meeting on March 6 by members of the coalition, when councillors agreed to send it for detailed discussion to the strategy and resources committee.

Campaigners in the council chamber on the day loudly opposed the decision, urging councillors to make a decision on the calls in the petition at that meeting.

Bombardment

The statement said: “We condemn the tragic loss of innocent civilian life over the last five months in Gaza and on October 7 in Israel. The ongoing bombardment and blockade of Gaza is devastating and heartbreakingto watch.

“Over 30,000 people have been killed and there is the prospect of widespread starvation. We express our solidarity and deep sympathy with all the victims, their families, the tens of thousands of injured people and everyone who has been displaced.

“We repeat our call for an immediate ceasefire. The killing must stop, hostages must be released and aid must be allowed to flow into Gaza. Israel must comply with the orders in the International Court of Justice’s interim ruling in full.”

The full text can be seen below. It is also available online at the council’s SheffNews website here: https://sheffnews.com/news/a-cross-party-statement-of-solidarity

Councillors had also called for a ceasefire in Gaza at a full council meeting last November.

Annie O’Gara of the coalition responded to the statement, saying: “It is completely inadequate and very disappointing. It does not even mention Palestine in the title or anywhere else in the statement. So, who is it in solidarity with?

Ruling

“We welcome the sentence in the document: ‘Israel must comply with the orders in the International Court of Justice’s interim ruling in full’. But there is no mention of apartheid and no commitment on behalf of the council to do anything. The statement is not ‘in line with the petition’.”

“This is in completely disregards the swell of opinion in Sheffield in support of Palestine. We collected those 7,500 signatures in less than two weeks, everywhere people are raising thousands of £s for Palestinians.

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“The council and your councillor are letting us down. We urge you to vote in the local elections on May 5 for the candidate that is most sympathetic with Palestine”.

The coalition is urging all electors to ask the following questions of all candidates at hustings and on the doorstep:

• Do you accept Amnesty International’s designation of Israel as a state practising Apartheid across historic Palestine? YES / NO
• Do you agree with the International Court of Justice that credible evidence exists that Israel is committing the crime of Genocide in Gaza? YES / NO
• Do you support the International Court of Justice’s inquiry into the legal consequences of the 57-year-long Israeli Occupation of Gaza, the West Bank, East Jerusalem and the Golan? YES /NO
• Do you support the Boycott Divestment and Sanctions movement? YES/NO

The questions appear online here: https://www.sheffieldpsc.org.uk/?p=4139.

Annie O’Gara, who drafted the questions, said: “This issue has united people across communities and is deeply felt by many people in Sheffield. It is essential we know what our candidates think.”

Statement

Full text of the joint statement by council group leaders, issued on March 25:

Like many people across Sheffield, we have all been deeply troubled by what is happening in Gaza and our hearts are breaking for the people who are unable to flee to safety, say goodbye to their loved ones and face a future that they could never have imagined.

We condemn the tragic loss of innocent civilian life over the last five months in Gaza and on October 7 in Israel. The ongoing bombardment and blockade of Gaza is devastating and heartbreaking to watch. Over 30,000 people have been killed and there is theprospect of widespread starvation. We express our solidarity and deep sympathy with all the victims, their families, the tens of thousands of injured people and everyone who has been displaced.

We repeat our call for an immediate ceasefire. The killing must stop, hostages must be released and aid must be allowed to flow into Gaza. Israel must comply with the orders in the International Court of Justice’s interim ruling in full.

We call on the UK government and the whole international community to do all they can to bring about an end to the violence and to restart the peace process.

We are proud that Sheffield is a City of Sanctuary and that our city is home to many diverse communities and faiths. Our diversity is our strength. As political leaders, we commit to do all we can to bring our city together and we stand against all forms of hate, violence and racism, including Islamophobia and antisemitism.

Cllr Tom Hunt, Leader of the Council and Leader of the Labour GroupCllr Shaffaq Mohammed, Leader of the Liberal Democrat GroupCllr Douglas Johnson, Leader of the Green GroupCllr Dianne Hurst, Leader of the Sheffield Community Councillors Group