I feel a bit of indignation coming on.
Here’s something a friend sent me:
"Death toll in Gaza reaches 25,105, says health ministry:
A total of 25,105 Palestinians have been killed and 62,681 have been injured in Israeli strikes on Gaza since 7 October, the Gaza health ministry said in a statement on Sunday.
An estimated 178 Palestinians were killed and 293 injured in the past 24 hours, the ministry added."
(Guardian update 08:53)
And here’s a bit of Michael Rosen, always a good source of comment:
'Our friends abroad are committed to a solution,' said the King.
'We're not,' said the KIng's tutor.
'O dear,' said the King, 'what should we do?'
'Carry on,' said the tutor.
'But what will be the solution?' said the King.
'The solution that comes from carrying on,' said the tutor.
'But what if the solution turns out not to be a solution,' said the King,.
'Doesn't matter,' said the tutor, 'because we'll just carry on.'
'Might they complain that we're carrying on?' said the KIng.
'Oh yes,' said the tutor, 'they always complain but the good thing is that they never do anything about it.'
'All good then,' said the King.
Then there is this about the UN Secretary General:
The UN’s secretary general, António Guterres, has denounced Israel for the “heartbreaking” killings of Palestinian civilians in Gaza, Reuters reports.
“Israel’s military operations have spread mass destruction and killed civilians on a scale unprecedented during my time as secretary-general,” Guterres said at the opening of a summit of the G77+China in the Ugandan capital, Kampala.
“This is heartbreaking and utterly unacceptable. The Middle East is a tinder-box, we must do all we can to prevent conflict from igniting across the region.”
His comments come after Gaza Health Authorities said that Israeli strikes have killed over 25,000 Palestinians since 7 October.
Guterres added that the refusal to accept the two-state solution for Israelis and Palestinians is totally unacceptable, saying denying Palestinians the right to statehood “would indefinitely prolong a conflict that has become a major threat to global peace and security”.
And Zarah Sultana MP, a Labour MP who speaks up for left wing of the Labour Party ideas, has been questioning the UK’s involvement in Gaza and whether we should be selling arms to Israel. On the 14th of November she asked Foreign Office minister Andrew Mitchell if British-made weapons had been used in violation of international law in Gaza. He reassured her: "The member will know that the President of Israel has made it clear that his country will abide by International Humanitarian Law". What he didn’t tell her was about the Foreign Office's "serious concerns" about Israel's compliance with International Humanitarian Law in Gaza, as newly-released court papers show.
She relates that: “The papers show that at the start of the war the Foreign Office set up an internal International Humanitarian Law assessment process.
On 10 November it judged: “the volume of strikes, total death toll, as well as proportion of those who are children raise serious concerns”.
It also said: "the government’s current inability to come to a clear assessment on Israel’s record of compliance with International Humanitarian Law poses significant policy risks”.”
Here’s some more:
“The papers show that on 8 December the Foreign Office had "concerns regarding [Israel's] commitment to comply with the obligation not to arbitrarily deny access to humanitarian assistance".
The Foreign Office further said it was "possible Israel's actions" on humanitarian relief "were a breach of International Humanitarian Law".”
And she goes on to say that this should be national news – and it should end arms sales to Israel. She’s brining a bill to Parliament to that effect.
Somehow my writing about the weather and my family exploits seems a little irrelevant. So that’s it for today.
Life goes on. Stay safe and well, everyone!
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