With the peace deal in place, we wondered if it was necessary or appropriate to hold a vigil today 11th October. Surely, it might be argued, the fighting has stopped and the IDF has withdrawn from parts of Gaza. Might this be an end to the 2 years of hostilities and some kind of peace can now take place? Can we not be optimistic rather than hold a vigil for a cause which is now history?
Of course we can hope that this is a lasting end to the violence. With President Trump essentially twisting the Israeli government’s arms, there will be a stop to the ceaseless bombing and parking loaded people carriers next to apartment blocks and blowing them up.
But, will it last? Israel has no intention of allowing a Palestinian state. Elements in the Knesset want Gaza to be flattened and its inhabitants to be sent elsewhere. Settlers will continue with their nightly violence and killing of Arab and Palestinians living in the West Bank. Will Trump stay engaged in the coming months to ensure the two sides stay on course? Will Hamas quietly put down their guns and stop sending rockets over to Israel? Aid is to be allowed in but will that continue? And we must keep in mind that Gaza is one vast prison with no port, no boats allowed into the Mediterranean and with no airfield. All access in and out tightly controlled by Israel with queues sometimes lasting hours for no apparent reason. And Gaza is now a wasteland with water treatment plants destroyed, hospitals reduced to rubble, and agricultural land made infertile.
These are huge barriers to be overcome and overcome they might with goodwill. But is there goodwill? Or do the hatreds run too deep?
So while we welcome the ceasefire and hope that it will be sustained if only because of sustained and outside pressure, whether it will last is not at all uncertain.
We will be holding a vigil today, 11th starting at 5pm as usual.
95th vigil well attended. Nearly 66,000 dead in Gaza
Video added 28th.
Over 45 came to the 95th vigil and a number of passers-by stopped to ask what it was about or take photos. It has been a momentous week with speeches in the UN General Assembly. Mahmoud Abbas was not allowed to attend in person because the US would not give him a visa. President Trump berated the UN in all manner of ways. Perhaps the most surprising event was the almost complete walk out by delegates when Benjamin Netanyahu arrived to speak. The UK and the US did not leave.
Netanyahu condemned the recent decision by Britain and others to recognise a Palestinian state as ‘sheer madness, it’s insane and we won’t do it’ adding that recognition by several other countries is “disgraceful. The speech was transmitted to residents of Gaza through massive loudspeakers.
An Istanbul news outlet reports that at least 65,926 Palestinians have been killed in Israel’s genocidal war on the Gaza Strip since October 2023, the Health Ministry said on Saturday. A ministry statement said that 77 bodies were brought to hospitals in the last 24 hours, while 265 people were injured, taking the number of injuries to 167,783 in the Israeli onslaught. “Many victims are still trapped under the rubble and on the roads as rescuers are unable to reach them,” it added.
The BBC has reported that the Allenby Bridge between the West Bank and Jordan has been closed with no reason given. It is the only crossing which leaves Palestinians stranded.
Journalists bannedfrom Gaza.
Israel does not want the world to report on the events in Gaza and has banned international journalists from going there. Only Palestinian journalists can report and more of them have been killed or murdered there than in any other conflict. Three news organisations [BBC, Reuters, Associated Press and Agence France Presse] have produced a short video, narrated by David Dimbleby, arguing for access by the world’s press. Israel is wont to claim that footage and reporting of their activities and claims of genocide and starvation are ‘Hamas lies’ and similar remarks. Allowing journalists to report would allow the world to see for themselves.This 2 minute video is recommended.
No sign of the local MP, Mr John Glen nor any mention in his weekly column in the Salisbury Journal of the previous 94 vigils held in his constituency. He is reported to be a member of the Conservative Friends of Israel group, thought to be the largest lobby group in Parliament.
Today, 21 September, the UK government announces that it is to recognise the state of Palestine. It has joined the majority of countries around the world and joins Canada and Australia who did the same today. The decision has come after months of hesitation and was delayed until after the visit to the UK by President Trump who does not agree with it. To an extent, the government’s hand was forced. The disproportionate response to the horrific attack by Hamas on October 7th with the destruction of huge parts of Gaza, a death toll now over 65,000 many or whom are women and children and the deliberate introduction of siege conditions leading to more deaths by starvation, has left the government little option but to take action. Public opinion has also been a factor and the images of emaciated children have horrified many.
Britain’s decision is more than symbolic since the 1917 Balfour Declaration was instrumental in the creation of the state of Israel. The declaration was vague however since although it recognised that Arabs and Palestinians already lived there and said ‘nothing shall be done which may prejudice the civil and religious rights of existing non-Jewish communities in Palestine‘ it made no provision for protecting their claims or rights.
Some argue this is symbolic since with American support and ever increasing violence by settlers in the West Bank, the prospects of an actual state on the ground are receding. Some suggest that this means the conditions for statehood as set out in the 1933 Montevideo convention are not achievable. The Israeli government has rejected the decision saying ‘it categorically rejects the one-sided declaration of a Palestinian state by the UK and some other countries.’ It claims the decision does not promote peace. A spokesman for the British Board of Deputies interviewed on the BBC was critical of the decision and said it would cause deep dismay across the Jewish community in the UK. It says it is a reward for Hamas violence.
Implications
What are the implications? It will take some while for the implications to percolate through the claims and counter claims of the various political interests. It will enable the Palestinians to open an Embassy in the UK which will improve their status. It will enjoy diplomatic rights which will be significant. Up until recently, the Israelis have enjoyed almost uncritical support from governments but its continued violence in the West Bank and Gaza is seeing that support melt away.
It is unlikely to bring a peace deal any closer. Wars end because a kind of exhaustion sets in and the population goes weary of war-time restrictions and the loss of soldiers. This shows no sign of applying in Israel. Seemingly limitless weapons supplies from America and a huge military advantage in weapons and materiel mean any exhaustion is a long way off. IDF deaths are modest 464 [Jewish News Syndicate, 18 September]. The far right members of the Knesset such as Bezalel Smotrich see Gaza as a ‘property bonanza’ and claim the ‘demolition phase is over’.
Recognition will make it harder for the UK government to continue its support of Israel – open and covert – with RAF overflights for example, and ignore the plight of the Palestinians. It may even see some more robust reporting from the BBC whose lamentable performance has slowly begun to change.
Amnesty has said it is a ‘hollow gesture’ and without meaningful action to end the genocide, end violence in the West Bank and ending the Apartheid system against the Palestinian people. Real action needs to be taken to end arms sales and divest from companies which continue to sell arms to Israel. A report by CAAT sets out the details of arms export to Israel.
The latest vigil attracted around 25 attendees, lower than recently but passer-by interest was encouraging. Only one person in a car blasting his horn and made a disobliging gesture. Over 65,200 are now dead as a result of IDF bombing but the recently launched ground offensive in Gaza City is likely to see a rise in that number.
Tomorrow (Sunday) may see the British government come out with its long awaited support for a Palestinian state the subject of discussion with President Trump at his recent 2 day visit to the UK last week. We may amend this post tomorrow in the light of that.
Al Jazeera report that starvation deaths are now at 440 including 147 children.
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.
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.
Local MP takes aim at ‘gesture politics’ concerning Palestine and Gaza
August 2025
In a previous post we analysed the Commons statements by our three local MPs, Mr John Glen, Mr Danny Kruger and Sir Desmond Swayne. We concluded that the latter was the only one who spoke up about the war in Gaza. Mr Glen is a member of the Conservative Friends of Israel so any comments or speeches critical of Israel were unlikely. Mr Kruger appeared to have accepted the claims from Israel that Hamas fighters were embedded in the various buildings they are bombing.
In a piece in this week’s Salisbury Journal, Sir Desmond Swayne (Conservative, New Forest West) writes about Palestine under a piece entitled Britain’s gesture politics are a disgrace (28 August). He refers to the government’s intention, along with France, to recognise a Palestine state. He acknowledged this was ‘gesture’ politics but accepts that sometimes such gestures are called for.
‘For years the objective of [British government policy] has been the implementation of a Palestine state base on the occupied West Bank. Throughout this time however, Israel’s actions have been designed to thwart any such prospect’ he writes. He mentions the growing policy of apartheid in the country.
The recent announcement by the Israeli government to build a further illegal settlement which will cut the West Bank in two thus making the prospect of a functioning Palestine state almost impossible. ‘The intention is clear’ he notes quoting Bezalel Smotrich, the Finance Minister, who said “they’ll keep talking about a Palestinian dream, and we’ll keep on building a Jewish reality … a reality that buries the idea of a Palestinian state, because there’s nothing to recognise.”
David Lammy ‘at a complete loss’
How are we to respond? he asks to the man-made famine in Gaza, as well as the continuing devastation of civilian life. Every time ministers come to the Commons to face the anger of what is being done in Palestine they reiterate that they are ‘very cross about it’. Ministers point to the modest actions they have taken but when MPs point out that these actions have had no impact, the Secretary of State, David Lammy refers to ‘further actions’ that they will consider. Sir Desmond reports that when he asked the SoS ‘what further actions?’ he was directed to the Oxford English Dictionary to look up the meanings of the two words. Very drole.
Sir Desmond concludes that David Lammy is no doubt appalled by what is happening but is ‘at a complete loss’. We are in thrall to the Trump administration and we know that they will not allow any effective sanctions against Israel. It is refreshing to hear a politician spell out the plain fact that Britain is largely powerless. To quote Sir Desmond “it is time to call a spade a bloody shovel”.
“So we stand and watch as Gaza burns and the West Bank is swallowed. We will be judged accordingly”. (Sir Desmond Swayne, Salisbury Journal).
Analysis of the voting record of the three Members of Parliament in the Salisbury area
August 2025
Salisbury has three MPs whose constituents live in the Salisbury area and it is timely to ask how they have performed in Parliament concerning the conflict in Gaza. We compare this with the invasion of Ukraine by Russia which is broadly taking place at the same time.
Although there is no job description for an MP, a key role is to represent their constituents in parliament and to the government of the day. Their constituents will have a plurality of views so straightforward representation is almost certainly impossible. A further problem is to ask who are they representing? This refers to the many lobby groups and organisations who spend millions on their activities trying to persuade MPs to their views and ideas. A key one relevant to this post is the role of the Conservative Friends of Israel thought to be the largest lobby group in parliament and with around a third of a million pounds, very well funded. The MP for Salisbury, appears to be a member of this group.
Methodology
We looked at the website They Work for You and used the following search terms [Gaza] [Israel] [Palestine] and for comparison [Ukraine]. All were accessed on 25 August 2025. We also did a search using Startpage (a search engine) using the same terms. We also referred to the website MP War Crimes. This site has analysed a wide range of sources and has concluded that all three MPs are ‘anti-Palestine’.
Results
John Glen (Salisbury).
Only three interventions none of them concerned about the violence. One asking about the refusal of Israeli authorities to allow MPs to enter the area. A question with a focus on Christians in the area and access to Christian holy sites such as the Mount of Olives and Bethlehem. Recently, he complained about an alleged statement by a Irish Republican at Glastonbury saying ‘the only good Tory is a dead Tory’ and ‘Up Hamas!’ and ‘Up Hezbollah!’.
On Ukraine by contrast he made over 30 interventions going back to June 2018.
Danny Kruger (East Wiltshire which comes down to the boundary of the City)
One. On the 29 October 2024 he asked a lengthy question making a collection of doubtful statements concerning Unwra and Hamas. This included the allegation that Hamas was ‘hiding their soldiers in hospitals’ and that they were ‘deeply integrated into Unwra’. Israel has never provided evidence of the former and on the latter, UN investigation showed that 7 operatives out of its thousands of staff might have been involved in the October massacre. This is the only one we could find and the intervention showed strong evidence of Kruger accepting Israeli claims without caveats.
On Ukraine he has made nine interventions.
Sir Desmond Swayne (New Forest West) south of the City
The only one who seems to have asked any questions and ten which we could find with a strong emphasis on West Bank violence. Like Mr Glen, there is a focus on Anglicans some of whom were taken by IDF soldiers from an Anglican hospital and whose whereabouts are unknown. He made a number of interventions about the West Bank prior to October 7th and it seems to be a continuing interest of his on this subject. Only a small number about Gaza however.
On Ukraine, he made a similar number of interventions – ten – going back to 29 June 2016.
Conclusions
The only local MP who exhibits some kind of balance is Sir Desmond Swayne who has asked a series of questions and made speeches on a range of issues both about Gaza, the West Bank and Ukraine. The same cannot be said for either John Glen or Danny Kruger. Indeed, historians in years to come, going through Hansard reading their speeches and questions, would wonder if Gaza or violence on the West Bank had ever occurred. Like reading a Jane Austen novel where you are unaware Britain was at war. Both seem to have a focus on the plight of Christians which is a proper concern and one that is often forgotten in Western media. But wider concerns about other faiths does not seem to be on their radar. As we have reported elsewhere on this site, people in and around Salisbury have now mounted 90 vigils in Salisbury, not one of which Mr Glen has ever attended or referred to in his weekly column in the local paper. He has been voluble on Ukraine but almost silent on Gaza.
We conclude that neither MP is representing, on this evidence, the views of a large number of their Constituents. It is possible that Mr Glen’s membership of Conservative Friends of Israel maybe a contributing factor. None are in government at present. It is important from a human rights perspective because there is mounting evidence of genocide and the use of starvation is a war crime. The known death toll is 62,000.
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
Having written about our vigils in many of our posts, it is becoming hard to find fresh words for the continuing horror of what is happening in Gaza. Israel’s actions have gone way beyond what is to be expected from a nation that likes to think of itself as a beacon of civilisation in a turbulent region. Their actions have been well documented and the nightly vision on our screens of death, destruction and now starvation is becoming unbearable. The flagrant murder of journalists is added to the list of crimes. Israel refuses to allow western journalists in for obvious reasons of course: you do not want foreign eyes and lenses on the killing and maiming of children and the elderly.
“No such thing as Palestinians because there’s no such thing as the Palestinian people” Bezalel Smotrich, Paris 2021
And it shows no sign of ending. The IDF has been ordered to extend the war and to conquer Gaza City for which plans are being prepared. One can only imagine the death toll. 61,000 will seem a distant memory once it gets underway.
Destruction of medical facilities
A key aspect of the attacks has been to destroy the medical facilities. Medical staff are having to perform serious operations without medical supplies because of the blockade. A consultant surgeon who has returned from Gaza in the Nasser hospital is quoted in this fortnight’s Private Eye (No: 1655):
‘What I have witnessed appear to me to be multiple war crimes, including the systematic destruction of Gaza’s healthcare system. Not only have hospitals been bombed, but soldiers from the IDF have gone into hospitals, killed healthcare personnel and and destroyed the infrastructure. Each individual dialysis machine has been destroyed, along with laboratories, scanners, water tanks, gas supplies and sewage systems rendering the hospitals entirely disabled. More than 1,500 healthcare workers have been killed, and more than 500 abducted and detained illegally in Israeli prisons with daily torture and many dying under torture – many of them friends of mine.’ He goes on to describe the nature of injuries and how they cluster in different parts of the bodies of victims on different days. The tired story of hospitals being command centres is not supported by any evidence. […]
What is noticeable in his and other’s testimony is the seizing of medical staff who are detained, tortured and not allowed legal representation. They have not been charged or brought before a court. Their whereabouts are unknown. Considerable notice is given to the Israel hostages (rightly so) almost nothing is ever said about the Palestinian hostages because that effectively is what they are. It is just one part of the misinformation put out by the Israelis and seemingly swallowed whole by the western media.
Vigil number 89
The 89th vigil took place in Salisbury as usual on Saturday 16th August, and we had over 50 attend. What was encouraging was the presence of new people some of whom had brought their own signs. The vigils show no sign of abating and with each day of terrible news and appalling footage smuggled out of Gaza sometimes by journalists who risk death by the IDF. No sign still of the local MP Mr John Glen nor any mention of his constituents taking part in these vigils in his weekly column in the Salisbury Journal. Mr Glen is a member of the Conservative Friends of Israel organisation.
Elsewhere in Private Eye is news of Israeli exports of fruit and vegetables to the UK which have increased from £29.1m in the last 3 months of last year to £51.3m in the first 3 months of 2025. So while people in Gaza starve, we can enjoy Israeli produce on our shelves.
Amnesty in Salisbury & South Wiltshire 