I WENT to a Free Palestine demonstration at Bristo Square in Edinburgh on Wednesday. There were a lot of moving speeches, mostly by young Palestinian girls. The square was 10 deep all the way round though, of course, there was no media presence. The demonstrators waved flags and chanted “Free Palestine” – both types of protest Suella Braverman would like to criminalise.
Braverman and her like continue to vilify the legitimate opposition of the Palestinian people as “terrorist”. Yet for 75 years, from the time of the Nakba, Israel has practised ethnic cleansing and bulldozing of homes on a grand scale. It now has 750,000 settlers in the West Bank – a policy that, by evident design, has ended all hope of a two-state solution. Some of these settlers have recently conducted the most vicious pogroms. Is it not, therefore, this long history of persecution that explains the actions of Hamas? I’m reminded of the words of WH Auden: “Those to whom evil is done/Do evil in return”.
Finally, Keir Starmer and Joe Biden talk of Israel’s right to defend itself. There is certainly no doubt that it can defend itself! The support of the West has allowed Israel to become a nuclear power with enough tanks, warplanes, smart bombs etc to obliterate all of its enemies in the Middle East, never mind in the Gaza Strip, an impoverished area of about 150 square miles.
Alastair McLeish
Edinburgh
I CANNOT condone the attacks made by the rebel so-called defenders of Palestine called Hamas. Attacking and killing innocent, defenceless Israeli civilians is nothing but murder in the first degree.
By the same token, I cannot condone the way Israel has retaliated by simply blowing up civilian buildings and homes indiscriminately using air and sea strikes.
The Netanyahu government’s decision to blockade Palestinians housed in the overcrowded area known as Gaza, denying civilians food, water and electricity, has already been condemned by the European Union as a possible humanitarian crime.
Israel’s choice of retaliation is no better than Putin’s attacks on the civilians in Ukraine. You cannot win a war simply by killing defenceless civilians.
If Netanyahu wants to destroy the Hamas rebels, he should have sent in the ground force from the beginning. Foot soldiers, armoured vehicles, tanks and artillery are the only way to destroy an enemy. Not indiscriminately killing civilians from the air. That choice will only result in international condemnation.
I do have a certain empathy for the Palestine nation. The so-called West Bank is all that remains of what was a much larger Palestine country.
Surely it is possible to allow the Palestinian people back into their own land? Israel has stolen enough of the original Palestine to satisfy itself since 1947. Jerusalem and Nazareth are deeply religious parts of Palestinian history, stretching back hundreds of years before the birth of Jesus, whose family and himself were residents of the then Palestine.
Alan Magnus-Bennett
Fife
THE Israeli government has declared a genocidal war on the people of Gaza. As an organisation that works for a future where Palestinians and Israelis and all people live in equality and freedom, Jewish Voice for Peace calls on all people of conscience to STOP the imminent genocide of Palestinians.
Jewish Voice for Peace mourns deeply for the more than 1200 Israelis killed, the families destroyed, including many of our own, and fears for the lives of Israelis taken hostage. Many are still counting the dead, looking for missing loved ones, devastated by the losses.
We wholeheartedly agree with leading Palestinian rights groups – the massacres committed by Hamas against Israeli civilians are horrific war crimes. There is no justification in international law for the indiscriminate killing of civilians or the holding of civilian hostages.
And now, horrifyingly, the Israeli and American governments are weaponising these deaths to fuel a genocidal war against Palestinians in Gaza, pledging to “open the gates of hell”. This war is a continuation of the Nakba, when in 1948, tens of thousands of Palestinians fleeing violence sought refuge in Gaza. It’s a continuation of 75 years of Israeli occupation and apartheid. The Defence Minister said that Israel is “fighting human animals” and should “act accordingly” – Jews know what happens when people are called animals.
We can and we MUST stop this.
Never again means never again – FOR ANYONE.
People of conscience must stop the imminent genocide of Palestinians. We demand that the US government and the Israeli government work towards de-escalation, that the US government immediately stops sending weapons to the Israeli military. A future of peace and safety for all, grounded in justice, freedom and equality for all, is still the only option.
Margaret Forbes
Blanefield
THE messaging from the UK Labour Party is now that the party has metamorphosed into the party of change (their words, not mine). The next question is: “Aye but what to?”
Unfortunately, the Labour Party machine is hard at work protecting Starmer, Sarwar and Murray from providing insight into the future that they envisage.
Back in 1997, the last Labour revival under Tony Blair replaced the Conservative government in Westminster, with a “back pocket” offer to Scotland of “devolution”.
This allowed the Scottish electorate to back their offer.
In recent months, Labour have rejected reversing the bedroom tax, wherein England taxes those who have an unused bedroom; backed the two-child limit, where benefits stop at the second child and the third child doesn’t receive any child benefit; are not going to devolve immigration laws to the Scottish Government; refused to remove the Section 35 order on GRR legislation and refused to remove the block on the deposit return scheme.
The only messaging from the party seems to be reverting to increasing the GDP of the UK, and, of course, I suppose, Scotland. I am reminded by other writings that increasing GDP has most often been short-termism, and benefited predominantly the investment community that seldom – if ever – benefits the long-term stability and wealth of the distant parts of the UK.
How is this any change from the Conservative Party?
Alistair Ballantyne
Angus
I COULDN’T agree more with Alan Marsden (Letters, Oct 10) regarding the disproportionately harsh treatment meted out to Margaret Ferrier for breaching Covid rules. The other key point in relation to the Downing Street parties is that the police must have known what was going on but apparently took no action despite blatant law-breaking!
Alan Woodcock
Dundee
PERHAPS Michelle Thomson should be careful of what she wishes for (sorry for the cliche).
Since the regrettable demise of Nicola Sturgeon, and in the months leading to the recent by-election, it is increasingly clear that people are losing the will to vote SNP. It is not clear, however, that the environmental agenda is losing popularity. So why should we add to this agenda of apathy by moving from that which is both essential and popular?
It may be more likely that the Greens could ditch the drag on their electoral support.
Archie Drummond
Tillicoultry
I WONDER how many of those who took the trouble to vote in the recent by-election, but abandoned the SNP for Labour, have children receiving the Scottish Child Payment, are under 22 years old, are receiving free bus travel or benefit from free prescriptions, all delivered by the Scottish Government, and all helping with the costs of living?
It may be that many in Scotland are not sure about what policies affecting their lives are controlled by Westminster (eg energy and drugs), or by Holyrood (eg health, education). The list of reserved matters is a lengthy one – few, including myself, could accurately list them all. This is not helped by the lazy reporting, or deliberate lack of clarity about “the government” and “the country”. Does it mean Scotland, the UK or England? Of course, clearly, “Scotland” when negative stories arise.
Irrespective of how good a story the SNP can present about Scotland as an independent state, their communication is barely getting through. The mainstream media will either ignore it or distort it. Most don’t look at the Scottish Government’s website or the SNP’s Twitter feed, few read The National, so it is an uphill task. But where are the billboards giving the positive message that independence is central to a better future? We need much more than the mythical rebuttal unit. We need to get our messaging out, reacting to Unionist lies is not enough. How about Believe in Scotland, who wouldn’t be affected by campaigning restrictions on political parties, taking up the reins of communication? I think many would donate to an effective robust strategy that would bypass the usual news outlets. Also, there are businesses anticipating a better future in an independent Scotland that should be willing to contribute. How does Led By Donkeys operate?
Given the lack of appeal of the Unionist parties (Tories – incompetent and corrupt; Labour – barely distinguishable, and uninspiring; LibDems – who knows?), Yes support should have reached 60% months ago. Why this isn’t the situation and how to resolve it are key issues for the SNP and all who want independence. Massively better communications must be at the top of that agenda.
Roddie Macpherson
Avoch
HEALTH is supposedly devolved and we have been repeatedly told by Tory politicians that our “two governments should work together”.
Yet, when a global pandemic struck these islands, critical decisions on health were made by the UK Government without even speaking with the Scottish Government (or any of the other devolved governments). From what has already been revealed through the UK Covid-19 Inquiry, the decisions of Boris Johnson and Alister Jack appear to have resulted in critical health information not being shared.
Furthermore, those decisions would seem to have been in contravention of the Scotland Act, as well as the spirit of devolution, and they clearly show any boast of a “partnership of nations” to be a lie. The anachronistic and essentially undemocratic first-past-the-post electoral system (which elsewhere in Europe only persists in Belarus) only still persists in the UK because the two dominant political parties do not wish to change a system that favours them over other parties.
The only realistic hope of significantly improving democratic representation and governance within the UK is to bring about the constitutional change that will be effected through Scottish independence.
Stan Grodynski
Longniddry, East Lothian
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