06 July 2023; MEMO: Over a thousand people gathered outside the Israeli Embassy in London yesterday in protest at the occupation state's "terror attack" on Jenin in the occupied West Bank. The protest was called by the Palestinian Forum in Britain, the Palestine Solidarity Campaign (PSC), Stop the War Coalition, Friends of Al-Aqsa and the Muslim Association of Britain (MAB).
The protesters also condemned the daily terrorism by Israeli soldiers and illegal settlers in the occupied West Bank and the theft of Palestinian land and violations of human rights.
In what was described by one speaker as the "ongoing Nakba", Israeli occupation forces attacked Jenin and its refugee camp in the early hours of Monday, using armoured vehicles and drones. Homes and infrastructure were destroyed in the two-day operation which killed at least 12 Palestinians and wounded dozens more. Around 3,000 residents were forcibly displaced, sparking claims that the ethnic cleansing which started with the 1948 Nakba has never ended.
READ: Israel's withdrawal from Jenin a 'declaration of failure': Hamas, Islamic Jihad say
"In an area of less than half of a square kilometre, the idea that the Israeli forces can use high calibre weapons — many of which are imported from the United States, some of which may be imported from this country, many of which are probably manufactured in Israel — and avoid any civilian casualties is complete nonsense," said former Labour Party leader Jeremy Corbyn MP. "The casualties in Jenin show that civilians have been killed and wounded."
According to MAB chair Raghad Tikriti, the pattern of events seen over the past few days in Jenin is "all too familiar" to Palestinians with Israel launching its biggest military operation in the West Bank in decades. "The bloodshed in Jenin cannot and must not be seen in isolation, but rather as part of a larger pattern of systematic oppression, dispossession and dehumanisation that Palestinians endure on a daily basis. In the face of our government's incompetence and attempts to stifle our movement, we recognise that speaking out against the settler-colonial regime is more than ever a duty that concerns every one of us."
Speaking on behalf of the Palestinian Forum in Britain, Ziad Elaloul called for a united approach and reaffirmation of the commitment to justice, equality and human rights. "Let us unify our voices demanding an end to the injustice to which the Palestinian people are subjected. Together we can make a difference. Today, we say that the continued oppression of the Palestinian people will no longer be tolerated. We stand in solidarity with the civilians of Jenin camp and all Palestinians who yearn for freedom, justice and peace." He demanded that the British government should look at occupied Palestine in the same way that it views Russian-occupied Ukraine and stand with the legitimate rights of the Palestinian people.
