HASTINGS AND DISTRICT PALESTINE SOLIDARITY CAMPAIGN: MOTION ON GAZA BLOCKED FROM THE FULL COUNCIL AGENDA FOR A FOURTH TIME We are disgusted that once again Hastings Borough Council officers have taken it upon themselves to prevent discussion at the Hastings Council meeting of the ongoing savagery in Gaza. For over a year now the residents of Hastings have watched in horror as the Israeli State first cut off all food, water and electricity to the 2.3 million trapped civilians there, half of whom are children, and then unleashed hell, bombing civilians indiscriminately. These repeated atrocities have been broadcast to our homes in real time through social media and the impact has been felt in every part of our community, by people of all ages and from every walk of life. We have not remained silent in the face of mass murder, marching, petitioning, demonstrating and canvassing our representatives to speak out, first for a ceasefire, then to stop all arms sales to Israel. We expect our councillors to do the job of representing the ordinary people of this town who, with the majority in this country, believe the UK should impose a two ways arms embargo on Israel, which stands in the dock at the world court for genocide. The people of Hastings have shown enormous empathy and generosity to Palestinians suffering under this barbaric regime by raising over £22k this year for people in Al Mawasi, Gaza where thousands of displaced peoples were told to flee as a designated safe zone. A 'safe zone' which Israel has repeatedly bombed, annihilating starving and terrorized families sheltering under canvas. Attacks which the leader of this council has condemned as 'inhumane.' This latest motion, tabled by the Green Party and supported by the Hastings Independents, is the fourth attempt to have the issue discussed by the council. Previous motions were blocked by the Labour Mayor and the council's Monitoring officer on the grounds that they weren't relevant to the local community. This was rightly seen as an affront to democracy and councillors voted to change the council constitution in order to allow councillors to bring forward motions on any subject they deem fit. The proposed motion for this week's council meeting also included an acknowledgment of the unique and meaningful link between this town and the fishing community of Al Mawasi in Gaza. However, we understand that the motion was once again blocked by the agenda planning committee - now consisting of the Green Leader of the Council Julia Hilton, the Labour Mayor Judy Rogers and the unelected Chief Executive - on a vote of two to one, with both the Chief Executive and Labour Mayor voting against the motion being included on the agenda. This motion was proposed by parties that support an end to arms sales to Israel, and who are a majority of the elected councillors. The fact that they have been blocked from even discussing their motion by a Labour Mayor, in the interests of a complicit Labour government still selling arms to Israel, is an outrage and anti-democratic. It is shameful that the genocide in Gaza has been treated like a political football by our local representatives. After 44,000 dead, our democratic representatives must make clear their opposition to genocide, stand up against the apartheid state of Israel and take steps to uphold international law. Ceasefire is no longer enough, ending arms sales is no longer enough. Our local councils must commit to divest from Israeli companies and end procurement contracts with those companies enabling and complicit in the illegal occupation and genocide in Palestine. It's time to stop playing party politics with Palestinian lives, to stop taking constituents for fools and to stand up for human rights, for international law and for the good people of Hastings who entrust councillors with the power to make a difference. ends 19 November 2024 ............................................................ Keep up to date with the Hastings and District PSC website and social media: Website      Facebook      Twitter      Instagram      YouTube Channel      TikTok.