Over 200 MPs from 12 Countries: Stop Arming ‘Israel’

By Staff, Agencies

More than 200 parliament members from 12 countries have urged their governments to impose a ban on arms sales to "Israel", citing the occupying regime’s “grave violation of international law” in its war on Gaza.

“We know that lethal weapons and their parts, made or shipped through our countries, currently aid the ‘Israeli’ assault on Palestine that has claimed over 30,000 lives across Gaza and the West Bank,” they said in a letter, organized by Progressive International, a network of socialist lawmakers and activists focused on international justice.

The politicians stressed that an arms embargo has become “a legal requirement”, especially after the International Court of Justice ordered “Israel” to ensure its forces don’t commit genocide.

“We cannot wait. Following the interim ruling by the international court of justice [ICJ] on the genocide convention case against … ‘Israel’, an arms embargo has moved beyond a moral necessity to become a legal requirement,” said the letter, The Guardian reported on Friday.

In January, the ICJ issued an interim ruling on the emergency measures requested by South Africa in its genocide case against “Israel”, ordering the occupying entity to take all measures to prevent genocide in Gaza, but stopped short of ordering a ceasefire.

The letter’s signatories are all lawmakers in parliaments where the governments allow arms sales to the “Israeli” entity, including nine current or former leaders of political parties.

Some 39 parliamentarians from the UK have signed the letter, in addition to politicians from Australia, France, Belgium, Canada, Brazil, Spain, the Netherlands, Turkey and the US.

The action by the parliamentarians is backed by the founder of France Unbowed party, Jean-Luc Melenchon, the Spanish government minister Pablo Bustinduy and the Indian politician Jignesh Mevani.

The letter comes amid worldwide public anger over the “Israeli” atrocities in Gaza and mass protests calling for an immediate ceasefire.