Tag: Lebanon

Well attended vigil


Strong attendance at 121st vigil

March 2026

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.

Previous posts:

Photo & video: Peter Gloyns

0

Trade Minister a member of Friends of Israel


Peter Kyle declines to answer any questions

March 2026

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].

Facebook film

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.”

Sources: HRW, Independent, Guardian, Declassified, Salisbury Journal, CAAT.

0

Vigil No 120 attracts strong support


The need for the vigil as strong as ever

March 2026

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

A video of the vigil can be seen here – courtesy of Peter Gloyns.

0

Impact of Middle East Conflicts on Refugees in Turkey


War in Middle East and its effects

March 2026

Although war reporting generates a lot of commentary on the deaths of those caught up in the conflicts, the effects on refugees and those displaced receives much less attention. With the new war(s) in the Middle East, refugees are again in the news. So far, most displaced people have been moved within the countries of Iran and Lebanon, but Turkey in particular is being readied for an influx of refugees.  The European Union Agency for Asylum thinks here will possibly be large numbers of displaced persons as a result of the conflict, many of them heading for Turkey. The Institute for Migration estimates that as of now there are 19 million internally displaced in the region; the UNHCR have calculated in the last few days that 667,000 Lebanese have registered as displaced.

Home Secretary’s refugee plans

At home, the big story is the Home Secretary, Shabana Mahmood’s plan to reduce the length of protected stay of refugees from 5 years to half of that, during which time they will only have temporary refugee status.  This will be subject to review every 30 months for up to 20 years. During this period claimants may be deported if, in the opinion of the Home Office, their country of origin has become deemed “safe”.  A large number of Labour backbenchers are opposing the move, and the Law Society has observed that it might not comply with international law. Other objections have been that the plan will be costly (£872 million over a decade, according to the Refugee Council) and impractical. On 5th March, the Home Secretary revoked the legal duty to provide destitute asylum seekers with support and accommodation while their claims are processed, often for months or years.  The Home Office have been influenced by the so-called “Danish model”, which takes a hard line on immigration.

Among the latest statistics to be released, the Home Office received up to 23,000 referrals of alleged human trafficking in 2025 (the main sources were Eritrea and Vietnam).  The backlog of cases has reduced, but there has been an increase in the number of reconsiderations.  In 2025 about 100,000 claims for asylum were made in the UK. Of these, 41% were from small boat arrivals, 11% other irregular means, while 40% already had some form of leave before claiming.  The level of grants continues to drop, at 42% in 2025 (it used to be over 80%).  Syria has suffered particularly with levels of asylum grants down year-on-year from 88% to 9%.  Claims from Eritrea and Somalia are mostly accepted.

The ban on family reunions instigated last autumn is being challenged in the courts by Safe Passage International.  A High Court ruling is expected later this year.

Small boats in the Channel are now starting from further north, in Belgium, according to a BBC report.

The UN Missing Migrants Project, which records the number of deaths among attempted migrants globally, has designated three routes as particularly dangerous: from North Africa to the Central Mediterranean (esp. Libya); from Afghanistan to Iran (this was before the current conflict), and from West Africa to the Canaries (they note that migrants are coming from further south than they used to, with more risks attached).

Those politicians who seem keen on war and wanted the UK to adopt a more interventionist stance with the Israeli and US actions, seem not to be quite so aware of the knock-on effects. Many of those same politicians are to be heard railing against refugees. Wars generate refugees. A proportion end up at Calais.

AH

Recent posts:

0

The Vigils continue


Forty fourth Vigil held yesterday

October 2024

The 44th Salisbury peace Vigil continues with around 35 in attendance yesterday (5th October). It is almost a year since the terrible events on 7th October 2023 was the trigger for the current round of violence which seems to be getting worse by the day. Last week, saw a huge barrage of missiles from Iran directed towards Israel. Israel also stepped up its campaign with a ground invasion of Lebanon as well as bombing communities in the south and in Beirut itself. A million or more have been displaced and there have been around 1,500 deaths. Over 41,000 have been killed in Gaza.

After October 7th, there was a wave of international sympathy for Israel. The number killed and the manner of their deaths – some burned alive and others brutally and gleefully murdered – shocked world opinion. As time has gone by and the images of destruction wrought on Gaza, sympathy for Israel has turned to frustration. We have seen footage of building after building being demolished. People are being forced to move time and again. The scale of misery has been shocking. The seemingly indiscriminate nature of the bombing is also shocking. The ‘human shield’ argument has been much used and evidence for it has not been supplied.

Huge numbers of women and children have been killed. Many thousands have received life changing injuries including the loss of limbs. Entire families have been wiped out when blocks of flats have been destroyed. Aid deliveries have been restricted or delayed. The situation in Gaza is catastrophic.

The world looks on powerlessly

And the world has looked on powerlessly. Peace efforts have come to nought. Military aid continues largely unabated. The US, formerly the key player in the region, is looking as feeble as its president. It is a tragedy being played out in real time on our screens. Israel is accused of genocide and ignoring claims that its response is disproportionate.

It seems a long time since talk of a ‘new world order’ and international relations being settled by diplomacy. Israel is in danger of winning battles but ultimately losing the war. They may inflict crippling physical damage on Hamas and Hezbollah due to its huge superiority in military strength, but they cannot crush the ideology. Peace in the area can never be achieved until the Palestinian question is resolved probably through some kind of two state solution. The sad fact is that at the end of this campaign (and when that will be is unpredictable) fundamental issues will remain unresolved. The Palestinians will not have a state: Israel will continue to be surrounded by hostile neighbours.

What is alarming to note is that neither the UN nor USA has been able to secure a peace deal or any kind of enduring settlement. The EU is side lined.

We shall continue our vigil in Salisbury each Saturday at 5 o’clock in the market square. A small gesture perhaps …

0

Death penalty report


The death penalty report for October – November is available thanks to group member Lesley for compiling it.  One worrying item is the apparent willingness of the UK government to allow individuals to be sent to the USA with the risk of execution.

October/November report (Word)

0

Blog at WordPress.com.

Up ↑