Today, the Israeli Ambassador to the UK will visit the National Assembly, and Assembly members will have an opportunity to raise questions with him. Following my commitment to discuss with Palestinian campaign groups in Wales, and to seek their advice on whether to attend the event or not, I have decided that the best course of action would be for me to join their protests outside the Senedd building.
Their arguments were compelling: that engaging in dialogue with the Ambassador would have no bearing on Israel’s continuing violations of UN resolutions in relation to human rights in the Palestinian Territories, and until they conform to such resolutions politicians such as myself should not provide them with a legitimate platform for which to endorse their actions.
Archbishop Desmond Tutu, following a visit to the Holy Land, publicly declared that the situation reminded him of what happened to black people in South Africa. As someone who was heavily involved in the anti-apartheid campaign, it does not sit easy with me to attend the event at this particular moment in time.
The Palestinian campaigners recommended that I join them outside the Senedd, as they believe that this course of action would be the most effective way of demonstrating our collective dissatisfaction with Israeli government policies.
Showing posts with label Palestinian campaign group. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Palestinian campaign group. Show all posts
