We are pleased to attach this month’s report thanks to group member Lesley for the work in compiling it. Featured this month are Florida with Governor De Santis’ spate of executions – the highest in the State’s history – the disturbing number of executions in Iran to add to the slaughter of its citizens in the streets, and the discriminatory bill passed by the Knesset in Israel for the execution of Palestinians in the West Bank.
As ever we note that China does not feature despite executing more of its citizens than the rest of the world combined.
Petition to the UK government passes the critical 100,000
April 2026
The Israeli Knesset has just passed a bill which will permit the speedy execution of Palestinian prisoners. A petition has passed the crucial 100,000 mark which means the UK parliament must consider the issue. Human rights organisations and governments around the world have condemned the legislation which quite openly singles out Palestinians for execution without appeal. The trials will take place in a military court in the West Bank. Many will have been severely tortured and badly mistreated.
“We believe that such a law would constitute a complete violation of the Geneva Convention and International Human Rights Law. UN experts have called for these proposals to be dropped,” the petition reads. Human rights organisations, including Amnesty, have condemned the legislation, which has been described as ”one of the world’s most extreme death penalty laws,” over its design to target Palestinians, as it would exclude Israelis.
The petition shows the degree of concern that many have with this legislation and its brazen one-sidedness. To reach more than 100,000 is a measure of the public’s concern. It poses a problem for the government however which has supported Israel during the recent hostilities. Weapons, intelligence and overflights from Cyprus are part of its support.
It also puts in the spotlight the large numbers of MPs who are members of the various party’s Friends of Israel groups including the local MP for Salisbury Mr John Glen.
Ben Gvir and Bezalel Smotrich, two members of Knesset who promoted this bill.
Pete Hegseth’s message is one of violence with a religious justification
April 2026
The message of our vigils, the 122nd of which was held on Saturday 4th, is one of peace in the region not violence which seems to be never ending. This is set against the speech (sermon?) given by the Secretary of State for Defense, Pete Hegseth, last week in the Pentagon. Hegseth belongs to the Communion of Reformed Evangelical Churches, a conservative network co-founded by the self-described Christian nationalist Doug Wilson. CREC pastors have appeared at Hegseth’s Pentagon services at least three times, including Wilson who preached there in February.
The US Constitution was clear that church and state should be separate. George Washington was himself a devout Anglican and was keen for religious tolerance to be available to all faiths. He and the founding fathers were also keen for the state to be distinct from religion – a lesson they had learned from Europe. Hegseth’s bringing his faith into the political sphere is alarming. In his latest speech he speaks of ‘ … overwhelming violence of action to those who deserve no mercy’ a quote from the Psalms.
Critics such as Ronit Stahl, author of “Enlisting Faith: How the Military Chaplaincy Shaped Religion and State in Modern America,” said referring to God in broad language is not unusual in this context. “But the shift towards the specificity of Jesus Christ and therefore Christianity and in Hegseth’s case, a particular form of Protestant Christianity, is new, especially coming from the defense secretary.”
The tone of his speech is troubling and couching it in religious justification especially so. It can be seen here. For many, Christians or no, the appropriation of religious faith to justify the killing and destruction of country which is now largely defenceless is profoundly saddening. The Christian message is based partly on forgiveness not vengeance. The Guardian reported that Pope Leo spoke for many beyond the Catholic church at a Palm Sunday mass in Rome in forcefully rejecting attempts by zealots such as Hegseth to conscript Christianity. “No one can use [Jesus] to justify war,” he said, quoting Isaiah. War-makers’ prayers would go unanswered. “Your hands are full of blood.”
Over 30 attended the vigil and there was a pleasing number of ‘honks’ from passing motorists. A video can be viewed here and photos courtesy of Peter Gloyns.
Sources: PBS, CNN, Air Force Magazine (US), Guardian, HuffPost, The Independent.
Terrible events continue to unfold in Sudan. Britain’s role in the supply of weapons
April 2026
While the world is transfixed by the events in the Middle East following the bombing campaign initiated by the US and Israel, terrible misery is inflicted on millions caught up in a long-running war in Sudan. The numbers are huge: tens of thousands killed with mounds of bodies reported in some locations, 8 million displaced in a country with little infrastructure to cope, and an almost uncountable number of women and girts raped. Tens of millions are in need of humanitarian assistance.
The UN reports a tripling of gender based violence much of it unreported because of the stigma and shame attached to the victims. This disaster follows a 2 year siege of Al Fasher by Rapid Support Forces, a rebel group who are successors to the Janjaweed. There are many reports of men executed on the spot by RSF men.
Weapons
The question is how are the RSF getting these weapons to enable them to take on the Sudanese Armed Forces? The story is complex but considerable evidence points to the key supply hub of the UAE being the principle source. Weapons are then filtered through other countries and states including Libya and Uganda. The weapons themselves come from Russia, China, Yemen, Serbia and Türkiye. The supply route is described as ‘unimpeded’ by some observers.
The UK? As is usual with these conflicts, the UK is busy supplying weapons to the UAE despite knowing that some are destined for the RSF to be used for slaughter in the Sudan. CAAT reports that £825m was supplied in the period 2020 – 2024. £421m was suppled since the Sudan war began. They report that the UK government were well aware of the diversions taking place. The British government has been urged to suspend further arms sales to the UAE. This follows a report in the Telegraph.
A Channel 4 report supplies further details – or such details as can be found as the industry is shrouded in secrecy – and they do note that weapons sales to the UAE have diminished. The report ends with the familiar refrain from ministers:
“The UK government told us it has a very strong arms export licensing system in place, and it takes any allegations of diversion of exported weapons to another country very seriously. It said it had reviewed a large number of export licences, and found no evidence of diverted items being linked to existing licences.
“Speaking to Channel 4 News today [25 November 2025], Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper said: “I have deliberately made the issues around Sudan one of the top priorities here in the Foreign Office because this is the worst humanitarian crisis of the twenty-first century.””
Open licences
The problem with Foreign Office statements is the issue of open licences. A rather less sanguine view of the question is provided in a Daily Telegraph article. The FCO is accused of failing to check the onward movement of weapons once they have landed in the UAE: a kind of out of sight out of mind.
The situation in Sudan is dreadful and there is a flow of refugees from the country some of whom end up at Calais. The UK is urged to limit arms sales to UAE and to ensure that such arms as are sold do not find their way to the RSF.
Sources: Amnesty, Guardian, Telegraph, Middle East Eye, CAAT, The Parliament Politics, Channel 4.
The Israeli Knesset has just passed by a majority of 62 a bill which will allow the executions of Palestinians convicted of fatal attacks in the West Bank. The executions will take place by hanging and do so it is planned, 90 days after conviction or in some cases 180 days. The law is nakedly discriminatory and is a piece with the apartheid policy which exists in the country. No appeals will be allowed and legal contact with the convicted person is via video link only. The Knesset erupted into loud cheers and Ben Gvir was seen waving a champagne bottle in celebration. An illustration of the lapel badge he wears is below.
It has brought a wide range of condemnation from around the world. It will do nothing for Israel’s somewhat battered reputation internationally. A statement by Amnesty International said:
‘Today, Israel’s parliament, the Knesset, adopted the first in what threatens to be a series of laws facilitating the use of the death penalty, in a public display of cruelty, discrimination and utter contempt for human rights. The amendment added to Israel’s Penal Law, known as the ‘Death Penalty for Terrorists’, expands the scope and facilitates the use of capital punishment, at a time when there is a global trend towards abolishing it. It also dismantles fundamental safeguards to prevent the arbitrary deprivation of life and protect the right to a fair trial, and further empowers Israel’s system of apartheid, which is maintained by scores of discriminatory laws against Palestinians.’ Erika Guevara-Rosas, Amnesty International’s Senior Director of Research, Advocacy, Policy and Campaigns.
The Palestinian Prisoner’s Society called it a ‘historic escalation – a new phase of openly sanctioned [and] politically motivated executions of Palestinian prisoners’.
Torture and mistreatment
A particular problem is that Palestinians are imprisoned and subject to considerable mistreatment. This can include starvation, physical assaults of various kinds and lack of medical attention. The Times of Israel among others have reported on the inhuman conditions. Testimony and confessions therefore, produced under this system of abuse and torture, will have little credence. Some of the descriptions are horrific and there is a WARNING about the following link.
The problem here is that violence begets violence. An almost ceaseless tide of violence in Gaza, southern Lebanon, parts of Syria, the West Bank and now Iran, has bred into the society that yet more violence is the answer to the security of the state.
Large numbers of British MPs from all parties are members of the Friends of Israel groups, funded by the Israeli government, including the Trade Minister, Peter Kyle. The Salisbury MP, Mr John Glen is a member of this lobby group.
Amnesty is opposed to the death penalty in all circumstances. Mistakes cannot afterwards be corrected. It is not a deterrent and it imposes huge stresses on those who carry out the punishment. The local group publishes a report each month on its use around the world.
Sources: Times of Israel, BBC, Guardian, Palestine Prisoner’s Society, Al Jazeera
Around 36 attended the 121st vigil and it was pleasing to welcome some passers-by who stopped to join in. Nearly half the cars sounded their horns. Here is a video of the vigil. The vigils started because of the horrific events on October 7th and the ensuing violence in Gaza where the death toll stands at 72,267. The violence continues and around 4 weeks ago, both Israel and the US have started a bombing campaign in Iran and very recently, Israel has started a ground and bombing campaign in Lebanon. In the past few days, the Houthis in Yemen have recommenced their campaign sending missiles towards Israel.
There has never been a sign of the local MP Mr John Glen at any of the vigils nor any mention of them in his weekly column afforded to him by the Salisbury Journal. Mr Glen has claimed in the paper to be a proud member of the Conservative Friends of Israel group. Another member of the Labour party version is the Trade Minister highlighted in our previous post (see link below).
Use of white phosphorus
The violence seems set to continue with civilian casualties mounting on all sides but mostly in Iran and Lebanon. A particularly troubling development last week was a report by Human Rights Watch producing evidence that Israel is using white phosphorus in southern Lebanon. White phosphorus is a chemical substance dispersed in artillery shells, bombs, and rockets which ignites when exposed to oxygen. It can set homes, agricultural areas, and other civilian objects on fire. Technically, it is not a chemical weapon.
Under international humanitarian law, the use of airburst white phosphorus is unlawfully indiscriminate in populated areas and does not meet the legal requirement to take all feasible precautions to avoid civilian harm. The effects on humans is fearful. Biology Insights report ‘direct contact with white phosphorus leads to severe and immediate localized damage, primarily through chemical and thermal injuries. White phosphorus ignites spontaneously when exposed to air, typically at temperatures ranging from 30 to 50 degrees Celsius. This ignition initiates a highly exothermic reaction, releasing significant heat and causing the substance to burn fiercely at temperatures between 800 and 2500 degrees Celsius. The burning continues until the phosphorus is consumed or deprived of oxygen.
‘The resulting burns are profoundly painful and can be full-thickness, extending through all layers of the skin. White phosphorus particles readily adhere to skin and clothing. Because the substance is highly lipid-soluble, it can penetrate deeply into underlying fatty tissues, muscles, and even bone. This deep penetration leads to extensive tissue necrosis [death of cells] at the point of contact‘.
Inhalation is also extremely painful and causes lung damage and possibly renal failure.
‘Beyond horrific‘
A 2023 Amnesty report described its use then as ‘beyond horrific’. The weapon also contaminates the ground and makes its future use problematic for agriculture. Since most villages in the area are dependent on agriculture it has profound economic effects as well.
Hastings protest by Jewish people
This short moving video taken by Hastings Jews for Justice is a protest against Israel’s planned execution law for Palestinians only. Palestinians in Israeli prisons are already tortured, abused, starved and raped. They will be hanged if this law is enacted. There is no appeal. They claim it is state-sanctioned murder. HJJ calls on all MPs to condemn this vile law. Please add your name to the HJJ letter here: https://forms.gle/gnEgkRs553z5Yi617 HJJ Website: https://www.hastingsjewsforjustice.org/This Guardian article provides an update on the progress through the Knesset.
The Rt Hon Peter Kyle MP is the Secretary of State for Business and Trade and in the interview clip below, he is repeatedly asked why he has not declared his membership of the Labour Friends of Israel group. As the interviewer points out, his is the key ministerial position when it comes to arms exports and yet he is a supporter of one of the warring parties. The Register of Interests makes no mention of this membership [accessed 27 March].
He is but one of a large number of members of this powerful and well-funded lobby organisation. It must be questioned whether it is appropriate for a minister to a) be a member in the first place and b) why he has not declared it. His voting record displays a distinct pro-Israel and ‘anti-Palestinian’ stance according to the MP War Crimes web site. Further background is provided on the CAAT site.
As we have noted on several occasions before, the Salisbury MP, Mr John Glen is also a member, indeed a ‘proud member’ of the Conservative version of the lobby group and the same site lists his voting record.
It is reported today (27th March) that it is not safe for anyone in Beirut due to Israeli bombing. Israel is engaged in a plan to clear most of Lebanon up to the Litani river. Human Rights Watch have reported that Israel is using white phosphorous in southern Lebanon providing compelling evidence. The use of this weapon which causes severe injuries, is banned under International Humanitarian law in cases where there are civilians. The IDF claim they are: “currently unaware and cannot confirm use of shells that contain white phosphorous in Lebanon as claimed. The IDF did not watch the visuals supposedly relied on by Human Rights Watch in making its claims, and therefore cannot currently comment on them.”
During a presentation on increasing authoritarianism at the Exeter conference, the firm Palantir was mentioned and its potential, and part in, the worrying trend of authoritarianism on both sides of the Atlantic. The first question is what does the firm do? This is normally a straightforward enough question to answer by looking at the firm’s website and other sources. But in this case there seem to be doubts even from people who work there.
Essentially they handle information and data – colossal amounts of it. They are able to meld a wide range of data sets to provide answers to customers who include commercial firms, the military and a variety of government agencies. One of their senior employees chillingly said ‘we help with killing people and saving lives’. In this essay we want to explain why we should be concerned about the firm and its likely effects on our rights and freedoms. Information is power. As we are seeing in the current wars in Ukraine, the Middle East and Iran, information is crucial to the successful targeting of munitions and to military operations generally.
The firm is in the news again with a contract with the Financial Conduct Authority which gives it access to sensitive financial information. The Guardian reports (23 March) it will enable the firm to monitor case intelligence files, financial ombudsman complaints, problem firms, emails and social media posts. There are concerns from within the FCA that the firm will gain access to their methods and how trustworthy are they with that information. Will Palantir ‘tip off’ its friends they ask? The owner of Palantir, Peter Thiel frequently featured in the Epstein files.
As the quote above illustrates, information is not neutral. It can be used to analyse the masses of information held by the NHS to make improvements in clinical outcomes and in improving efficiency. It has been used to help in crime detection by matching large and disparate quantities of information on international criminal networks. But it has been used by ICE in its activities in the US which have drawn a lot of criticism. The essential point therefore is being able effectively to control the data and the companies like Palantir who have it. It is this which is the root of concerns.
Concerns
1. The first concern is that it is a profit based corporation. Its prime focus is on returns to shareholders and making a profit. There is no crime in that but when it comes to data and millions of files of information about individuals, moral issues and matters of security and confidentiality are crucially important. In common with all corporations these days, it has a series of reassuring policy statements about human rights for example. History doesn’t support these statements. When it is profit v. morals, which will win out?
2. The lack of security of the data it collects. In the case of the NHS, the government is desperate to secure savings and no doubt Palantir will offer them which could be genuine enough. The company is American based and as we have experienced with other tech giants, transparency and attention to the welfare of the people using their platforms is very low down on their list of concerns. Will the desire to save money outweigh the security of the data?
3. The government has shown itself to be inept in a wide variety of IT catastrophes and have chosen to outsource to Palantir because they have a system that works. In doing so, they will lose control to a corporation outside its jurisdiction. Like several other ‘tech bros’ its owner, Peter Thiel, has been happy enough to cosy up to President Trump. Thiel in his writings is keen on monopolies which is also a worry when we are talking about a public organisation like the NHS.
4. The organisation’s links to the military and help offered to the IDF. It developed a technology called Maven which dramatically speeds up what is termed the ‘kill chain’ and has been used in Gaza and Iran. It identifies, using AI technology, where a target is likely to be and enables rapid attacks and assassinations to take place. Palantir is not involved in the decision to allow killing of 15 or more innocent individuals by the IDF for one Hamas fighter but is nevertheless supplying the IT to enable it to take place.
No scruples
It all adds up to a fundamental concern about being associated with such a firm. It appears to have no scruples in terms of the uses put by its systems and technology. We have a government which has shown itself to be more and more authoritarian, keen to allow an American company over which it has almost no legal controls, access to a vast range of data about individuals.
It comes down to the sovereignty of the data, who owns it and what is done with it, its security and who has access legally or otherwise, and the ability of the UK government to protect our interests. Over all these there are big question marks. Defence experts have expressed deep concerns. When the New York Police Dept. cancelled its contract with Palantir, the company kept the insights it had gained. The Swiss army has cancelled its contract with them for the reasons set out here.
We should be deeply concerned by this firm’s penetration into our national life and be highly sceptical of promises by government ministers that they have adequate controls.
This was the title of one of the talks at the Exeter conference organised by the local Amnesty group. Answer: no. The talk was given by Abdullah al Anjari (pictured) who is a doctoral researcher in Palestine studies at the Institute of Arab and Islamic Studies, University of Exeter, and a member of the European Centre for Palestine Studies. His talk focused on three key elements of the problem: Jerusalem, the refusal to allow Palestinians to return and the actions of the West Bank. Together they meant the prospects for a Palestinian state near impossible. He might have added a general lack of support by other countries for this cause and the unqualified support by the US of Israel.
The removal of large numbers of Palestinians from Jerusalem began in 1948 and has continued sporadically since. It was important to realise that it was Christians who were expelled not just Arabs and Palestinians. Only two weeks previously the Church of the Holy Sepulchre was closed. This is a rarity in the 1,700 year history of the building.
Palestinians do not have the right to return to the lands they previously lived in. It is often forgotten that a significant number of those living in Gaza are themselves refugees.
Thirdly he said, there is the West Bank where around 700,000 Jewish people are now living. A further nineteen new settlements are currently being established. Far-right Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, a settler who proposed the move alongside Defence Minister Israel Katz, said the decision was about blocking the establishment of a Palestinian state. Alongside the settlement push has been a steady increase in violence against Palestinians and Arabs living there with no protection offered by the army or police. Abdullah called this ‘settler colonialism’.
Apartheid state
There have been many UN resolutions on this matter which have been ignored. What can we do? He focused on the Apartheid state operated by Israel. There have been a number of detailed reports setting out the mechanics of the state and how Palestinians are second class citizens in their own land. The Israeli human rights organisation B’Tselem, Human Rights Watch, and Amnesty International have all produced extensive reports on the system. These have been variously dismissed by Israel and anti-Semitic and anti-Israel. The world took comprehensive action against Apartheid in South Africa and eventually the system was unsustainable. So far there is no move to apply those principles to Israel.
South Africa became a pariah state and its sports teams were boycotted and foreign companies were eventually persuaded to disinvest or stop trading. Writing to MPs was suggested. However a significant number of MPs are members of the Friends or Israel groups so are unlikely to support any action to boycott Israeli goods for example. Pressure could be applied to local government pension schemes not to invest in arms companies dealing with the country. The powerful Zionist influence in both the US and UK was noted.
Keeping up the momentum of vigils and campaigning was important in raising awareness and not allowing the injustice to continue. The prospects for a Palestinian state are almost nil was the gloomy conclusion. The seeming endless violence against its neighbours, the uncritical support of the US and other countries and a supine media landscape were all facts acting against some kind of peaceful solution for the region.
Middle East violence continues. Over 1,000 dead as Lebanon attacked. Al Jazeera reports over 1,500 dead in Iran with many injured and 18 killed in Israel. The economic effects promise to be catastrophic with many economies under great strain if the hostilities continue. Killing continues in Gaza where the death toll is put at 72,268.
Ammendment
The bombing by US Tomahawks of the Minab school in Iran has received coverage in the UK. Around 175 were killed the majority of whom were girls. A moving video has been produced by protestors at Fairford in Gloucestershire from where the bombers took off. It was claimed by the prime minister that UK facilities could only be used for defensive purposes. President Trump claimed it was done by the Iranians themselves. As they do not have this weapon this is virtually impossible. Added 25 March.
Violence in the West Bank is increasing and some suggest it is because the world’s attention is focused on the current hostilities in Iran and the closure of the straight of Hormuz. This enables Palestinian villages to be attacked by settlers. There is however, an interesting report in Haaretz who say that JD Vance, the American vice president, ‘castigated Benyamin Netanyahu’ over the increased settler violence since the Iran war started. Trump promised action to the Arab nations about this violence but does not appear to have done anything.
Lebanon is under attack including the capital Beirut. The Defence minister Israel Katz is quoted in the Jewish Chronicle as saying: “hundreds of thousands of residents of southern Lebanon who evacuated northward will not return south of the Litani River until security for the residents of the north [of Israel] is ensured“. It would appear from some statements from Israeli politicians and military people that the occupation of southern Lebanon may be permanent: “the Litani [river] must be our new border with the state of Lebanon, just like the ‘Yellow Line’ in Gaza and like the buffer zone and peak of the Hermon in Syria,” Katz added, in reference to the current IDF deployment to Gaza and the Israeli presence in southwestern Syria.
‘There are no innocent children in Jenin’ a member of the Knesset said following a Palestinian family gunned down on the West Bank (source: Haaretz).
Golders Green violence
Four ambulances belonging to Hatzolah in Golders Green were set on fire and destroyed on 23rd March causing immense distress to the Jewish community in the area. The reasons for the attack or who committed the crime is unknown at present and the police are investigating. UPDATE: 27 March: two men have been arrested (26th inst) according to the Metropolitan Police.
Salisbury vigil
People are still disturbed by the continuing violence, the attacks on Iran by Israel and the US, and how the conflict is widening. There was strong attendance at the latest vigil. Deaths, including many civilian deaths and starvation, continue in Gaza, the war has spread to Lebanon and Iran as already noted. Although we do not know the precise objectives of the Iranian attacks, there were speeches by President Trump and other senior cabinet members which suggested regime change was one hope. This does not look likely now.
120 vigils and no sign of the local MP Mr John Glen and no mention of them in his weekly column in the local paper. In a letter to the Salisbury Journal (19 March) he said he was a ‘proud member’ of the Conservative Friends of Israel group.
Sources: Al Jazeera, Jewish Chronicle, Haaretz, Middle East Eye, Guardian
Amnesty in Salisbury & South Wiltshire 