Tag: Gaza

UN Council report declares genocide in Gaza


Report finds that Israel is committing genocide in Gaza and elsewhere

September 2026

A report by the UN Independent International Committee of Inquiry on the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem and Israel (COI), has concluded that Israel is committing genocide in those areas according to the 1948 Convention. The UN itself has not made a declaration but it is being urged to do so. The COI investigation has taken 2 years. The Israeli Foreign Ministry has condemned the report saying “it categorically rejected the report and called for the COI to be abolished. Israel’s ambassador to the UN in Geneva, Daniel Meron, called the report a scandalous and fake “libellous rant” that had been authored by “Hamas proxies”. Israel has declined to cooperate with the COI, accusing it of having a political agenda“. A summary of the report is available here.

The COI finds that 4 of the five genocidal acts have been committed by Israel namely killing, causing serious bodily or mental harm, deliberately inflicting conditions of life calculated to bring about the destruction of the Palestinians in whole or in part and imposing measures intended to prevent births. It finds that Israel has failed to investigate genocidal acts and to prosecute perpetrators.

Israel has imposed a siege, blocked humanitarian aid and has systematically destroyed health care and educational systems. Today (17th September) as part of its latest ground offensive, it has attacked the last remaining functioning hospital in Gaza. Independent journalists are not allowed into the territory.

Treatment of women

Perhaps the most distressing aspect of the report is the atrocious treatment of women captured by the IDF. This has not so far as we are aware been reported before. It is worth quoting the passage on this aspect (warning: a distressing read):

Notably, the Israeli security forces also sexually harassed and publicly shamed Palestinian women. For example, some Palestinian women were forced to strip to their underwear and remove their veils in public and in front of the community. The Commission has found that Israeli security forces have deliberately humiliated and mocked Palestinian women based on their gender and ethnicity. The evidence analysed by the Commission showed a clear gender and racial bias by the perpetrators, who intentionally target Palestinian women and attempt to humiliate and degrade them publicly. Moreover, from the perspective of Palestinian culture, sexual harassment and public shaming of women are potentially extremely harmful, carrying serious implications for the women whose privacy is publicly exposed. Additionally, female Palestinian detainees were severely mistreated and humiliated during their detention. The Commission has reported that female detainees were subjected to repeated, prolonged and invasive strip searches, both before and after interrogations. One woman was strip searched in her cell every three hours during her four-day detention, the guards forcing her to remove all her clothes even though she was menstruating. Women were forced to remove all clothes, including the veil, in front of male and female soldiers. They were beaten and harassed while called “ugly” and subjected to sexual insults, such as “bitch” and “whore“. (para 70).

Sport and culture

The continuing death toll in Gaza, now put at 65,000, and the increasing level of violence by settlers in the West Bank is forcing countries to reassess their relations with Israel. We have previously reported the abandonment of the final stage of the Vuelta due to protesters. There are moves by Spain, Ireland and others to withdraw from Eurovision. There are signs of Israel becoming more isolated because of its activities.

Referring to this increasing isolation, Benjamin Netanyahu said in a speech yesterday that Israel would become a kind of Sparta. This is a revealing comment since the Greek state did indeed win a famous victory in the Pelopennesian War but it was democratic Athens which eventually survived and became a beacon for global civilisation. Sparta pursued its militaristic and isolationist policy but was overcome by the Helots and disappeared from history.

The 94th vigil will take place on Saturday 20th at 5pm in Salisbury market by HSBC.

Sources: Haaretz, Guardian, Neos Cosmos,

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Sport and rights


Major cycle races affected by protesters. Last stage of Vuelta abandoned

September 2025

La Vuelta a Espana is the tour of Spain cycle race and a major event in the cycling season. It follows the Tour de France and the tour of Italy, the Giro d’Italia. These are keenly watched by millions of fans and the teams are sponsored by commercial enterprises and countries. The last stage of the Vuelta had to be abandoned last week because of street violence. Cycling is fairly unique since races take place on ordinary streets and members of the public can see the cyclists close to.

The problem is one of the teams is sponsored by Israel Premier Tech and its presence is causing major headaches. There are threats to next year’s Tour de France which starts in Barcelona (there is an increasing tendency for these tours to start outside the home country). Indeed, the Giro started in Israel in 2018.

There is hardly any need to explain the problems with the war in Gaza, set to intensify with the attacks on Gaza city, leading to the deaths of over 64,000 Palestinians. Although the sponsor is a commercial firm, the website makes clear the deep involvement of the Israeli government and Netanyahu himself. It is a national team.

The boss of IPT, Sylvan Adams, is hard line in his approach to Gaza and is quoted as saying ‘Israel should finish the job in Gaza’. He calls the protesters ‘terrorists’.

It is a major problem for race organisers since policing the roadside for three weeks is all but impossible. They are reluctant to ban or uninvite IPT because they are worried about being accused of being anti-Semitic. IPT is also extremely wealthy. Tour de France winner Chris Froome is on the team. The risk of disruption is high as we saw in Madrid. If the war in Gaza continues, protests are likely to grow and become more frequent.

It raises the question of sport and politics since countries like Israel are closely involved in teams as a means to promote themselves. Arab nations are spending billions engaged in the same thing. In the communist era, states like East Germany and Russia used sport to promote their ideology. The close involvement is a problem in times of war however. The involvement of IPT is only likely to intensify protests: there were two crashes in the Vuelta and two riders had to retire. The whole question of sport and politics is clearly an increasing issue especially as money is so important to success.

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Rain does not deter vigil


91st vigil attracts strong attendance despite rain

August 2025

The situation in Gaza gets ever worse with 63,000 now dead many of whom women and children. Around 330 have now died as a result of starvation and this number is set to grow. Peace looks a long way off and from the Israeli perspective, with American and Trump’s unqualified support, they are able to continue without let or hindrance. American support has even extended to banning members of the PLO from attending the UN.

The president of the PLO, Mahmoud Abbas and 80 other officials have had their visas revoked. The reason is because the US Secretary of State Marco Rubio blamed them for undermining peace efforts and for ‘seeking the unilateral recognition of a conjectural Palestinian state’. We seem to have entered a looking glass world as far as the Americans are concerned. The Palestinians are far from being as white as snow but they are far, far weaker than Israel who have all the weapons and materiel needed for the campaign of destruction in Gaza.

On the subject of weapons, the Defence and Security Equipment International exhibition to be held in London starting shortly will not feature a stand by the Israeli government. Their arms firms will still be there however. The UK government has decided not to allow a delegation to attend. “The Israeli government’s decision to further escalate its military operation in Gaza is wrong,” a UK government spokesperson said. “As a result, we can confirm that no Israeli government delegation will be invited to attend DSEI UK 2025.“

The BBC coyly refers to the exhibition using the word ‘defence’ and there will no doubt be defence firms there. But it is much more about our arms industry, heavily promoted and subsidised by our government, and which sells arms to many of the world’s troubled countries thus aiding in the carnage. The government claims it has ‘robust controls’ but with the big rise in open licences, this is a dubious claim. The fact that they were happy to allow Israel to attend until yesterday, only days before opening, speaks volumes. We should never forget the victims in these conflicts are women, children and the vulnerable. British firms profit, millions suffer. The extent of UK support for Israel is hard to quantify. RAF flights over Gaza continue the purpose of which is unclear.

There is still no sign of the local MP Mr John Glen and he did not mention the vigils in his weekly Salisbury Journal column which focused on his work getting to know people in his constituency. He is a member of the Friends of Israel lobby group in the Commons.

    A video of the vigil, attended by around 40, is available here courtesy of Peter Gloyns.

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    Numbers swell at vigil


    Higher numbers still at 90th vigil in Salisbury

    August 2025

    Around 55 attended this week’s vigil exceeding last weeks total. More stood and took notice and many photos were taken by passers by. The ‘Honk for Gaza’ sign attracted 32 honks. Several new faces attended which is encouraging. An excellent video of the vigil is available here courtesy of Peter Gloyns. A feature of the vigils is the range of posters and signs that people bring.

    Israel is now preparing to launch an offensive to capture Gaza City. Bombing has started already causing many casualties: the total known is now 62,000. Many thousands more lie under the rubble unaccounted for. Over a 1,000 have been shot by IDF soldiers and US mercenaries at the limited food distribution sites fun by the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation GHF. What is upsetting many are the scenes of starving children, especially infants below the age of 5, for whom proper food is vital. Interviews with Israeli officials are met with denial. They claim there is no famine and that there is plenty of food available. According to Haaretz, the majority of Israelis are not aware of the famine in Gaza.

    The UN declared a famine in part of Gaza this week: it is unable to do so for other areas as it cannot get sufficient data. António Guterres. the UN Secretary General said it was a ‘man made disaster, a moral indictment – and a failure of humanity itself’. Image: UN

    Images: Salisbury Amnesty

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    Walking Madonna is in the Cathedral Close in Salisbury.

    Image: Peter Gloyns

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    Strong attendance at latest vigil


    UK may join France and Canada and recognise Palestine

    August 2025

    About 45 attended today’s 87th vigil (2 August) and with a good level of recognition by passers by. Gaza fills the news still and the US Envoy Steve Witkoff went to Gaza this week in the presence of Israeli officials only. Here is a video of the last minute of the vigil where we bang pans as a recognition of the starvation deliberately being carried out in the territory*.

    The MP for Salisbury, Mr John Glen has never attended nor referred to these vigils in his weekly column in the Salisbury Journal. He is a member of the Conservative Friends of Israel a powerful Commons lobbying group. This web site may also be of interest. This is a list of Labour’s Friends of Israel group.

    Things are slowly beginning to change in the region with Israel becoming more isolated. The UK may recognise Palestine as a state in September. The daily footage of emaciated children has it seems, had a powerful effect on public opinion and protestations by Israeli spokes people that Hamas is stealing the aid; there is plenty of aid but the UN will not distribute it, and the denial that the IDF have shot about 1,300 who have been attempting to get supplies is believed by fewer and fewer people. As we have noted before, the refusal to allow independent journalists into the area does raise the question ‘what are they trying to hide?’

    Around 60,000 have now died and many more lie undiscovered in the rubble. Starvation and famine is now affecting tens of thousands of people.

    *Video courtesy of Peter Gloyns. We should explain that the three individuals on the left of the banner sitting on the bench were not part of the vigil and were not counted as attendees.

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    Gaza just gets worse and worse


    Gaza situation worsens with no real end in sight. Labour party prevaricates over Palestine

    July 2025

    UPDATED 28 JULY

    It seems unbelievable that in the 21st century, we should be witnessing the ever deteriorating situation in Gaza. Currently, famine is adding to the misery of destruction. Around 59,000 have died by some estimates but the ultimate death toll will be much higher as thousands lie undiscovered in the ruins. Images on our screens each evening of starving people, infants with emaciated arms and legs and scenes of mayhem at the food points now being managed by Israeli and American agencies are beginning to strike home. Over 1,000 have been killed at these food stations and images of people clamouring for a ladle of some kind of lentil stew are shocking.

    Our own government continues to vacillate over whether to recognise Palestine. One is inclined to say to them, ‘leave it much longer and there won’t be much left to recognise’. Israel continues to blame Hamas for what is happening and it cannot be denied they have a role in it. They also blame the UN for the failure to distribute the aid which is there much of which is rotting. No independent journalists are allowed into the area so verification is hard to achieve. In view of the history of the UN, both here and elsewhere in the world, in distributing aid in difficult situations, it stretches the imagination that they are wilfully withholding supplies. That the IDF is making life as difficult as possible and imposing multiple restrictions seems more likely to be true.

    It also fits with the narrative of several of the Israeli cabinet who have made extreme comments about the future of Palestinians. The violent settler activity in the West Bank, where journalists can get access sometimes also suggests, a deliberate policy. We see settlers attacking Palestinian villages and homes with the army looking on.

    Foreign Secretary Lammy a member

    We discovered this week, courtesy of Declassified UK, that around 130 Conservative MPs, including the MP for Salisbury John Glen, are members of ‘Conservative Friends of Israel‘ along with 40 Labour members. Together they have received over a third of a million pounds of funding and with other front groups the total is over £0.5m. It is the largest lobbying group in the Commons. Included in the list are several members of the Cabinet including David Lammy, the Foreign Secretary who is also alleged to have received over £30,000 from Jewish interests. Sir Keir Starmer has received £50,000 from Trevor Chinn described as a ‘Jewish Grandee’ who promotes Israeli causes in the UK. He was awarded the Israeli Presidential Medal of Honour for services to the state of Israel.

    So while arrests take place of people alleged to be supporting Palestine Action, a significant number of MPs enjoy funding from Israeli lobbying organisations. Another £0.3m million is given to MPs by Individuals supportive of Israel. Hmm.

    Vigil

    Number 86 took place yesterday (27th) and around 50 attended, the largest for some while. We were delighted to welcome some from Southampton. No sign of the local MP nor any mention of the vigils in his weekly column in the local paper.

    Some of our 50 or so supporter on the traffic island.

    This YouTube by a Jewish man talking about dehumanising people is a powerful watch.

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    Vigil #85


    Vigil number 85 well attended

    July 2025

    Good turnout again for the weekly vigil with nearly 40 coming. Two of our supporters stood on the nearby traffic island and attracted a significant number of car ‘honks’ – we’ll do that again. The number of ‘recognitions’ that is people who appear to take note of the vigil, was over a 100 approximately.

    Following the ban of Palestine Action by the government – a decision widely condemned and not just for the manner in which it was done – someone protesting about Palestine but not PA, was threatened with arrest by armed Kent Police. This seemed to be the very definition of heavy handed and a warning that once legislation introduced to curb and interdict violent terrorists bent on killing people, is used to threaten people engaged in peaceful protests, we should be very concerned. Authoritarianism creeps up on you slowly. A 100 people were arrested on Saturday 19th around the nation.

    Shocking revelation about the Charity Commission

    A shocking revelation came today that two UK based charities have sent millions of pounds to Israeli settlements with the blessing of the Charity Commission. A charity called UK Toremet has sent £5.7m to the West bank. They are the conduit for another charity the Kasner Charitable Trust founded to assist Zionist causes. The school in question being funded is based near a Palestinian settlement Khirbet Susiya, which was cleared out in 1996 by the IDF. One would have expected the Commission to know that many of the settlements are illegal under international law and that the level of violence against people living there is increasing. See Amnesty report (case study 3).

    Baroness Warsi has said that sending money to this illegal settlement in occupied land was ‘appalling’. The Charity Commission says it can do nothing. The charity is legal and operating as it does is not a criminal offence it claims. Anyone who has had dealings with the Charity Commission in the UK knows that they exert considerable and exacting control on what charities do, whom they help, how the money is spent and a host of conditions concerning governance and safeguarding. To give a green light to millions going via a Zionist charity to a settlement violently acquired and existing on illegally acquired land seems to stretching their remit to breaking point.

    Al Jazeera reports a further 116 killed today (19 July) seeking food. The death toll is around 58,000.

    Photo, Peter Gloyns

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    Gaza gets ever worse


    Horrifying proposals by the Defense Minister widely condemned

    July 2025

    The proposals by Israel Katz to create a ‘Humanitarian City’ on the ruins of Rafah have shocked many people around the world and many within Israel itself. The idea is to build this city in the tiny area based on the ruins of Rafah in the south of Gaza into which 600,000 Palestinians would enter but not allowed to leave. Eventually the whole of the population would go in. It has been termed a concentration camp and Human Rights Watch has said ‘it inches closer to extermination’. The ultimate idea is to move them all out of the city to a place so far unidentified.

    An Israeli human rights campaigner has termed the idea ‘a crime against humanity’. It has also been condemned by a former prime minister Ehud Olmert in an interview on BBC’s World at One radio show today (14 July). It is in keeping with Donald Trump’s statement on Airforce One earlier this year when he talked about ‘cleaning out the whole thing [Gaza]’.

    Around 56,000 have now died in the area and every day there are more deaths. Nearly 800 have died since the end of May at the food distribution points. The siege has now lasted 75 days with severe restrictions on aid, food, fuel and medical supplies being allowed in. Those desperate for such limited supplies as are allowed in are being shot at by IDF forces.

    What is increasingly clear, and spelled out with the so-called Humanitarian City, is the idea the Israel is responding to the horrific attacks on October 7th 2023 can no longer be produced as a reason for their actions in Gaza. The overwhelming force, the killing of large number of women and children, and the deliberate use of siege as a weapon of war go far beyond a legitimate and proportional response to the attack Israel experienced. The killings are justified on three grounds: that the demolished building contained a Hamas fighter; that underneath the building – be it a hospital, school or a block of flats – is a Hamas control centre, and that Hamas are using those killed as human shields. These reasons are endlessly repeated but almost never challenged. The policy now seems quite clearly to – using President’s Trump’s words – ‘clear out the area’ as though draining a village pond. We have to remind ourselves that we are talking about human beings.

    Since foreign journalists are not allowed into the area, independent verification cannot be done. But the IDF which now controls large areas of Gaza have failed to produce any evidence of say, the control centres. Since vast numbers of buildings have been destroyed there must surely be thousands of such centres?

    Vigil

    We held our 84th vigil on Saturday with over 35 in attendance. Many have contacted the local MP Mr John Glen to tell him about the vigils. He has never attended nor mentioned them in his weekly column in the local paper.

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    Amnesty Critiques High Court’s Decision on Arms Exports


    High Court rules against action by human rights groups

    June 2025

    The High Court has ruled that sales of components for the F35 aircraft can continue to be sold to Israel. The judgement has come as a big disappointment for campaigning organisations including Human Rights Watch, Oxfam, Al-Haq and Amnesty. The judges said that the decision was properly for the government to decide. They said:

    ‘[The] issue is whether it is open to the court to rule that the UK must withdraw from a specific multilateral defence collaboration which is reasonably regarded by the responsible ministers as vital to the defence of the UK and to international peace and security, because of the prospect that some UK-manufactured components will or may ultimately be supplied to Israel, and may be used in the commission of a serious violation of international humanitarian law in the conflict in Gaza.’

    Global Legal Action Network who brought the case with the support of the three British human rights

    organisations which are parties to the case, argued that under the Arms Trade Treaty and the Genocide Convention, the UK, as a state party to both, is obligated to stop sending the parts and that, by failing to follow its obligations, is threatening the rule of law globally.

    Amnesty statement

    In response to the verdict, Sacha Deshmukh, Chief Executive of Amnesty International UK, said:

    “We are disappointed by today’s ruling, but the court has been clear that while it does not have the authority to make a judgment on UK exports of F-35 arms parts, this does not absolve the executive and Parliament from their responsibilities to act.

    The UK has a legal obligation to help prevent and punish genocide and yet it continues to authorise the export of weapons to Israel despite the clear risks that these weapons will be used to commit genocide.

    This judgment does not change the facts on the ground, nor does it absolve the UK government of its responsibilities under international law. The risk that UK arms may be used to facilitate serious international crimes remains alarmingly high. If the courts will not intervene, then the moral and legal burden on the Government and Parliament to act – before more lives are lost and further irreparable harm is done – is even greater.

    “The horrifying reality in Gaza is unfolding in full view of the world: entire families obliterated, civilians killed in so-called safe zones, hospitals reduced to rubble, and a population driven into starvation by a cruel blockade and forced displacement. These are not isolated tragedies; they are part of a systematic assault on a besieged population.

    The UK must end all arms transfers to Israel if we are serious as a country about our commitments to international law and human rights.

    Many of those who attend the weekly vigil in Salisbury will find this decision deeply disappointing.

    Gaza documentary

    The documentary Gaza: Doctors Under Attack is to be shown on Channel 4 on 2nd July at 10pm. The BBC declined to show it saying it did not meet its high editorial standards. Members of staff met Tim Davie the Director General of the BBC at a virtual meeting and many expressed their disquiet at the decision to pull the documentary. The BBC denies claims it is frightened to air such programmes.

    Sources: Middle East Eye; Yahoo News; Reuters; Guardian.

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    Video of Salisbury vigils


    Video highlighting the 80+ vigils held in Salisbury and the exhibition

    June 2025

    We are delighted to attach a video* with clips from the 81 vigils so far held in Salisbury in aid of peace in Gaza. The bombing of Iran and the retaliation by them has distracted attention from the continuing misery which is taking place in Gaza. The death toll now stands at 56,000 including thousands of children. Many more have suffered terrible injuries with life long consequences.

    The is an exhibition at Salisbury Methodist Church, St Edmunds St which is open from 9:30 clips of which

    appear in the video.

    The strangulation of Gaza continues with tightly restricted supplies of food and other goods allowed in. The war of words continues with an Israeli spokesman interviewed on Channel 4 saying there is no blockade. Foreign journalists are not allowed in so independent reporting of what is happening is difficult. The evidence seems to point to utter confusion at the aid distribution points with many being shot every day in a desperate attempt to get food.

    Britain continues to supply weapons to Israel and to give them diplomatic cover. More attention is being paid to the role of the RAF, especially after the action by Palestine Action last week at Brize Norton. The RAF has overflown Gaza around 600 times now and the claims by the minister that they are to help find the remaining hostages is to be doubted in view of the government’s continued support for Israel and the supply of arms.

    The local MP, Mr John Glen, has not visited any of the vigils and has not mentioned them in his weekly column in the local paper.

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    *The Exhibition and video are the work of Peter Glyns.

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