Protest outside Westminster tomorrow

Wednesday 19 November 4-5pm: Jews for Justice for Palestinians and the Palestine Solidarity Campaign are organising a protest to coincide with President Peres’s address to Parliament, opposite St Stevens Entrance in Abingdon Street.

As Israel ’s President Shimon Peres enjoys the privilege of addressing both houses of Parliament on Wednesday afternoon, members of the Commons and the Lords might spare a thought for the fate of their fellow Palestinian legislators languishing without charge in Israeli jails, as well as for Gazans sealed in the world’s largest open air prison.

Since the elections of 2006, Israel has arrested over 45 Palestinian MPs. None have been charged. None have been tried. They have been arrested simply for being members of the Palestinian Legislative Council, winning elections certified as free and fair by international observers from all over the world. A recent delegation of MEPs was refused permission to visit Dr Aziz Dweik, the imprisoned speaker of the PLC, despite an investigation of the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) establishing over 10 months ago that Dr Dweik had no connection with terrorist organisations at all.

Dan Judelson, of Jews for Justice for Palestinians said: "Arresting MPs is the equivalent of sticking two fingers up at all those urging the Palestinians to trust in the peace process instead of rockets, rifles and slingshots, still more so at the Palestinians who took part in the elections of 2006.

Betty Hunter , General Secretary of the Palestine Solidarity Campaign, said, “Shimon Peres is the head of state of a country which is engaged in an illegal occupation, and has been stealing Palestinian land for more than 40 years in contravention of the Fourth Geneva Convention. I hope Parliamentarians will closely question President Peres about his country’s devastating blockade of Gaza at a time when Israel has sealed the borders even tighter, forcing the UN to suspend the essential food distribution on which so many Gazans rely. The presence of Shimon Peres in the British parliament is a mockery of democracy.’

Ends

For further information: Palestine Solidarity Campaign: 020 7700 6192

Dan Judelson, Jews for Justice for Palestinians: 07793 392820

Notes for editors:

A national lobby of Parliament will be taking place on Wednesday from 2pm organised by the Council for Arab-British Understanding (CAABU), JfJfP & PSC.

Two Palestinian farmers from a village near Nablus will be attending the demonstration.

A recent photo in the Israeli newspaper Ha’aretz showed Palestinians using tunnels to smuggle in essential foodstuffs, including livestock. The UN reported last week that they were suspending food aid as they had run out of supplies.

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The Palestine Solidarity Campaign (PSC) aims to raise public awareness about the occupation of Palestine and the struggle of the Palestinian people. PSC seek to bring pressure on both the British and Israeli government to bring their policies in line with international law. PSC is an independent, non-governmental and non-party political organisation with members from communities across the UK. Join PSC today!

Palestine Solidarity Campaign
Box BM PSA
London
WC1N 3XX

Tel: 020 7700 6192
Fax: 020 7609 7779

Email: info@palestinecampaign.org

Web: www.palestinecampaign.org