115th vigil took place following a momentous week in the courts
February 2026
We discussed in a previous post the High Court’s decision that the government’s decision to ban Palestine Action was disproportionate. The ban on them has not been lifted as the government seemed determined to appeal and some experts say the Appeal Court may overturn it. The government seem passionate about supressing dissent on this matter – obsessive even – and the possible reasons for this will be discussed in a future post.
Around 30 attended the 115th vigil yesterday and the ‘recognition factor’ by passers-by was higher than usual probably because it was light, Over 50 took note and a few took pictures. A video can be viewed here, with thanks to Peter Gloyns.
Once again we note that the local MP, Mr John Glen has failed to put in an appearance and despite 115 vigils attended by hundreds of his constituents, has never once mentioned them in his weekly Salisbury Journal column. He is a member of the Conservative Friends of Israel, thought to be the largest and best funded of all the lobby organisations in parliament. Although the Conservatives are the largest of such groups, other parties have members as well. It goes some way to explaining why there is silence on the question of genocide in Gaza and little noise about settler violence in the West Bank.
An interesting event took place on the BBC’s Any Questions? programme on Saturday 14th February. Perhaps the programme should be relabelled ‘Some Questions‘ because one audience member stood up and asked “What does the panel think about the BBC not expressing the truth about the genocide in Palestine?” This was not the question she had submitted on the card so it was hastily ignored and the original question about the High Court’s decision discussed instead. It seemed to reveal a BBC deeply nervous of the whole issue of Gaza. A question about the BBC’s poor record would almost certainly never have been allowed. There were a number of disturbances from the audience during the programme talked over by the presenter Alex Forsyth.
“Valentine’s gift to every thug and anti-Semite”
A large part of the ensuing Any Answers? focused on the Palestine Action decision. Most were in favour of the judgement and a handful not. Overall, it seems that the public finds the decision to call them a terrorist organisation over the top. This view is not supported by the Daily Mail among others who concludes that the decision is a ‘Valentine’s gift to every thug and anti-Semite who cheerleads for Palestine Action‘. It found the decision ‘baffling’ and quotes a government source saying it was ‘bonkers’ [accessed 15th February]. It correctly notes that the decision could go the the Supreme Court and take months to decide.
We attach the group’s minutes of its February meeting thanks to group member Lesley for the work in compiling them and for other members Fiona and Andrew for their contributions. We do not produce a newsletter so these minutes, although longer than normally the case with minutes, contain items of wider interest.
Human rights shot to the top of the agenda this week following the High Court’s decision concerning Palestine Action which has been another blow for the government.
Around 25 turned out for the 114th vigil on a wet and cold evening in Salisbury. We continue because there is no sign of a real prospect of peace in the Middle East and people continue to die in Gaza. The death toll has risen to 72,027 according to the Peninsular with Israeli strikes continuing in the territory. The so called Board of Peace is to hold its next meeting in Washington on 19th of this month with no Palestinians present Al Jazeera reports. Over 500 have now been killed since the peace process began.
Attempts to allow foreign journalists into Gaza to document evidence there have failed yet again. The Foreign Press Association has been engaged in a fruitless campaign for around 4 years now and the Israeli Supreme Court has decided to defer a decision yet again. It has postponed making a decision 10 times and finally ran out of patience. However, it allowed the Israeli lawyer to present their evidence in closed session. There are criticisms of the FPA for endlessly pursuing these applications when it is clear an enfeebled court is never going to allow foreign journalists in.
Three journalists from the Egyptian Committee for Gaza Relief were possibly murdered by an IDF airstrike according to +972 despite being some distance from the yellow line and in a clearly marked car. The IDF claim that the ‘suspects were operating a drone affiliated to Hamas’ which seems extremely unlikely but without independent evidence it is hard to be sure.
“We will continue to kill the idea of a Palestinian state” Bezalel Smotrich Finance minister
This follows the recent decision by the Israeli cabinet to ease restrictions on Jewish people acquiring land on the West Bank in contravention of the Oslo Accords. The process of acquiring land by Jewish people will be governed by an element of the IDF and the need to go through the civil administration will no longer be necessary. The decision has drawn a rare condemnation from JD Vance.
A positive message to come out of the endless horror of death and destruction comes from the West England Bylines which is a citizen’s journalist outlet and contains a poem by Lama Kuhail:
In Gaza’s Streets, where pain does flow, A wounded land, the world must know. Through darkened skies and broken ground, A son of courage still resounds. With every tear and every fight, They chase the dawn, Defy the night.
A video of the vigil with thanks to Peter Gloyns for permission to post it. Picture shows wet attendees!
The vigils continue in Salisbury and around 25 braved the cold and rain on Saturday 31st January to hold the 113th such event. A fragile ceasefire continues to hold and plans are continuing for the Board of Peace. 492 have died since the October ceasefire and the total dead is now put at 71,660 by the Hamas Health Ministry. On this, news this week that the IDF has now accepted this as a correct figure having decried the statistics since 2023. A further 10,000 are thought to be under the rubble unaccounted for. Throughout the conflict, Israel has claimed it is engaged in targeted strikes and reports of indiscriminate attacks are according to Netanyahu, a ‘blood libel’.
The UN has reported that the ceasefire is making a difference as more aid is getting in to the territory. They say the famine is being reversed although aid is insufficient to meet all needs. Foreign media have not been allowed into Gaza preventing verification of claims and the reporting of facts on the ground. The Foreign Press Association has launched a claim in the Israel Supreme Court to allow journalists in now that a ceasefire is in place. They argue it is absurd to prevent journalists from entering.
We have noted in previous posts that despite 113 vigils having taken place, there has been no sign of the local MP Mr John Glen at any of them and he has never mentioned their existence in his weekly column in the local paper the Salisbury Journal. About 2 weeks ago, an attendee of the vigils wrote to him for an answer but has not received a reply. Mr Glen is thought to be a member of the influential and well-funded Conservative Friends of Israel organisation as are a number of Labour and LibDem MPs. About 80% of conservative members are thought to be members. The question is whether being a member of this group overrides his role as the local MP employed to represent his constituent’s interests, not those of a foreign power?
The board consists of a large number of doubtful characters
Our vigils continue
January 2026
The ‘Board of Peace’ was announced last week and a row of potential members lined up at Davos to be photographed. It appears to consist of a collection of some doubtful characters and leaders of countries some with dire human rights records. Perhaps the name ‘Tyrants R Us’ might be more appropriate.
It’s chances of success seem minimal. The chair – in perpetuity it seems – is president Trump of America
who decides on membership, the agenda and his successor. This must be unique in the history of international organisations. Those invited include a range of leaders and royalty many of whom have blood on their hands, who suppress opposition, arrest human rights defenders, execute large numbers of their citizens, do not allow a free media to operate and whose police and security services regularly use torture. That the word ‘peace’ is attached to them is an oxymoron.
Since the board was supposed to be concerned with Gaza and the future of Palestine, the absence of a Palestinian representative at a senior level is beyond absurd. A fundamental question is whether Israel wants peace and it certainly does not want a Palestinian state. Their reaction to the proposal from Netanyahu’s office who have said this was “not coordinated with Israel and runs contrary to its policy“. Not to have involved Israel seems also to be absurd.
Of much greater significance however is the future of what was the rules based world order instituted after the war and led to the foundation of the UN. It appears that the Board of Peace is not just confined to the future of Gaza but is to become a kind of ersatz UN. The Charter, published by the Times of Israel, makes no mention of Gaza in the preamble. Most European countries have declined membership and see it as an alternative UN and controlled by Trump. The logo is modelled on the UN but with the USA at its core. Many will agree with Mark Carney who said in his Davos speech that we were ‘in the midst of a rupture not a transition’.
This does not bode well for Gaza or indeed other conflicts around the world. What if the president of this Board of Peace decides to invade Greenland? Will the other board members pass a motion to force him to resign? It looks as though they would not be able to since he appoints himself and them.
Salisbury vigil
Our vigils continue and Saturday was our 112th. Despite the cold and wet, around 25 turned out. We see no end to the misery which is Gaza. More have been killed despite the ceasefire.
Talk to the Salisbury group about his new book ‘Complicit’
January 2026
The Amnesty International Salisbury Group invited the noted journalist and author Peter Oborne to speak about his recently published book* ‘Complicit: Britain’s Role in the Destruction of Gaza’ which describes in detail the extent to which British governments and media have supported the Israeli government presentation of events in Gaza since the massacre in October 2023. The event, held in the Methodist Church, was very well attended, with an audience of around 80. Following his presentation there was an opportunity for the audience to ask questions. Thirty copies of his book quickly sold out.
Asked about the motivation for writing the book, Mr Oborne (on the right of the picture) said that the drive came to him while in Nablus in October 23, as a continuation of his previous work as a political journalist and critic of lying in politics and the pro-Israel lobby. He noted that the former prime minister Rishi Sunak had declared unequivocal support for Israel, and the current prime minister Sir Keir Starmer notoriously agreed that the Israelis ‘had the right to deny fuel and water to the Gazans’. This brought them into an alliance with the far right and right wing media.
The role of the United States as a factor was considered. This has affected the language that is used in the conflict. Sir Keir Starmer, it was noted, was a human rights lawyer, and a Corbynite [reference to Jeremy Corbyn, a previous leader of the Labour Party], who changed as soon as he became leader.
Asked how influential the Conservative Friends of Israel were, Mr. Oborne noted that as MPs they must be compromised and should not be part of the debate if receiving funding from them (Note: the Salisbury MP Mr. John Glen is a member of this group). The funding is significant and amount to around half a million pounds by some estimates. He observed that during the committee stage of a related bill, only pro-Israeli MPs were called.
Media bias
The discussion moved on to the question of misrepresentation of events in the media. The claim that Hamas had ‘beheaded babies’ was reported as fact in the Daily Mail and the Times, and such stories were used as a justification for deliberate targeting by the IDF. In general, war has always led to misreporting historically: the first casualty in war is truth. Lurid stories of baby killings were repeated in the Independent (!) and the Daily Express and repeated by the Israeli Ambassador and other politicians.
Q: how many babies were killed and beheaded? A: Two were killed, none beheaded. In his book Peter Oborne quotes research by the Israeli paper Haaretz which revealed one had been shot through a door and a second infant had died after delivery by Caesarean section and the mother had died as well. Terrible events but not the mass killing of babies which the British media had swallowed whole.
Even the BBC and broadsheet newspapers were guilty of misreporting, sometimes by omission rather than commission. In his book, Oborne describes the BBC’s coverage as ‘a reporting disaster and a moral calamity‘ (p51)
For example, no mention was ever made of the “Dahiya doctrine” of military destruction of civilian entities. The doctrine itself calls for the deliberate targeting of civilians and civilian infrastructure in order to induce suffering and severe distress throughout the targeted population. By targeting indiscriminately, the IDF hopes to deter further military attacks against Israel, destroy its enemies, as well as influence the population to oust the militants seen as the primary target. This seems to contradict Israeli claims of targeting actions against Hamas not civilians, a claim endlessly repeated by the media.
Why did British media consistently misreport events in the Gaza war Peter was asked? The fear of being called anti-Semitic is a factor in bias among reporters. The Israel lobby will respond immediately to critical comment and not all journalists recognize the rules of the game. The IDF will regularly challenge reporting of actual events. With most newspapers being pro-Israel, it is easier to report from that angle.
Israel accused UNRWA of employing and harbouring Hamas terrorists among its 17,000 staff. As a result, the British government immediately withdrew its support. UNWRA was the largest agency operating in Gaza and by closing their warehouses and distribution work it had a devastating effect on the lives of those living there. In the past few days, their HQ was demolished by Israel, and, although the UK reinstated its connection, the myth of Hamas involvement was never rejected.
Questions from the floor
Questions from the floor included the makeup of the IDF (the Israeli national army, but one with a substantial number of foreign volunteers) and the influence of Israel had over the USA and UK policy. He thought some but is was not overwhelming. In answer to a question, Mr. Oborne praised Mrs. Thatcher for her support of international law, something not sustained today, We are being let down by politicians, but some who have been supportive of the Palestinian cause were named along with alternative media. Asked about President Trump’s “Board of Peace”, it was considered to be not a serious venture, not least because there is still no genuine ceasefire.
On the question of whether the political classes will be held to account, the speaker’s view was that if not, then might would be right. If the International Court of Justice concludes that genocide has taken place, British politicians may be liable – although, since the Attorney-General was a government appointment he would have to take the case up and this is unlikely to happen. The possibility remains that other countries might decide to prosecute.
Mr. Oborne was thanked for coming to Salisbury and discussing his book.
Severe turmoil in Iran with grievous human rights abuses
January 2026
Events are moving fast on the world stage. Last week saw huge uprisings in many towns and cities throughout Iran with security forces using violence in an attempt to quell them. Numbers of dead are unknown due to the internet and phone cut offs but are estimated to be at least 2,000. Help was promised by the US president but so far none has appeared and it is difficult to imagine how outside help of any kind would improve matters.
In Gaza, violence continues and 450 have died since the ceasefire. Life for people living there is desperate with inadequate food and medical supplies and living in tented communities. Over 71,000 dead who are known about, thousands more lie in the rubble. Israel is reported to be considering a fresh assault on Gaza City.
News of the Board of Peace was available and names include Donald Trump as chair and other are Tony Blair, Marco Rubio. Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner. There are no Palestinian names on the lists of the Board itself or on the subcommittees. Prospects for its success are dim. Vladimir Putin is reported to have been invited.
Vigil
We continue with our vigil and we held the 111th on Saturday with around 40 in attendance. One of the regular attendees has written to the local MP Mr John Glen to ask why he has never responded to emails about the vigils:
“You seem to have taken a policy of not responding to these emails. I would be interested in your thoughts on the current situation in Gaza and to learn something of the extent to which you are able to transmit these messages from a group of your constituents to your parliamentary colleagues. As you are my MP, this doesn’t seem a lot to ask. I will put this letter on Salisbury CND’s website and add your reply to it, should such a reply be forthcoming“.
On a cold evening around 35 turned out for the latest vigil. Peace talks seemed to have stalled according to several media outlets. Killings continue albeit at a slower pace. 425 have now been killed since the October ceasefire. Eight were killed in Khan Younis a few days ago including 4 children when an Israeli drone hit a tent. Thirty Canadians, including 6 members of parliament, were denied entry to the West Bank for security reasons it has been reported.
The Chief Rabbi, Sir Ephraim Mirvis, in a Daily Mail article has hit out at critics of Israel for calling their actions in Gaza genocide. He said it reduces humanity’s greatest crime to a ‘political insult’. He repeated the assertion that the current war started with the October 7th massacre. He lashed out, the Mail reports, at ‘so-called ‘human rights‘ organisations who appear to revel in misappropriating the term genocide because it has proven such an effective rallying call for them. The Mail did not seek comments from any of the human rights organisations.
Genocide occurs where there is specific ‘intent to destroy, in whole or in part, a national, ethnic, racial or religious group’. The UN has concluded that is the case.
The local MP, Mr John Glen has never appeared at any of the 110 vigils. He has never referred to them in his weekly column in the Salisbury Journal. He is reported to be a member of the largest parliamentary lobby group, Conservative Friends of Israel [a Declassified report]. A video of the vigil is sent to him after each week.
January minutes and newsletterwith details of forthcoming events
January 2026
We are pleased to attach our latest minutes and newsletter thanks to group member Lesley for compiling them and for other members Andrew and Fiona for their contributions. We do not produce a newsletter as such so they contain more material than you would ordinarily find in minutes. They contain notice of forthcoming events which you will find at the end. The next meeting is on 12th February at 2pm in Victoria Road.
We are pleased to attach the latest death penalty report thanks to group member Lesley for the work in compiling it. Florida is a feature this month with the rapid increase in the number of executions. Saudi has executed a huge number of people – almost one a day. We note as ever that China executes more of its people than the rest of the world combined but details are a state secret.
Amnesty in Salisbury & South Wiltshire 