While this is not official Labour Party Policy, may we recommend the following appeal, supported by such prominent Jews as Sir Gerald Kaufman, MP
Last
Thursday (21st Oct) there was a very successful public meeting in Manchester
addressed by Sir Gerald Kaufman MP, Richard Kuper of Jews for Justice for
Palestinians and Carol Regan of PSC, focussed on the need to put serious
pressure on Israel by suspending the EU-Israel trade agreement. The meeting
called for sustained lobbying of MPs and MEPs to introduce this limited sanction
on Israel.
A Parliamentary Early Day Motion (EDM) calling for the
suspension of the trade agreement has been signed by over 50 MPs. However out of
26 MPs in Greater Manchester only 3 have signed the EDM so far. They are Sir
Gerald Kaufman (Gorton), Patsy Caltom (Cheadle) and Andrew Stunell (Hazel
Grove). Please lobby your MP and insist that they support the EDM. A sample
letter you could use is below.
Way back in 2002 the European Parliament
voted to suspend the trade agreement, yet it still has not been suspended.
Please write to lobby as many of the North West MEPs as you can. A sample letter
is below. A list of the North West MEPs and their addresses is
below.
Please do change the letters into your own words if you have the
time. The more they are personalised the better.
As an alternative to
writing consider visiting your MP at their local surgery. Face to face it's
easier to ensure that they understand how seriously you are concerned about the
injustices in Palestine and you can more easily challenge them if they try to
fob you off with platitudes! It's usually quite easy to arrange to see your MP
through their local constituency office (usually in the phone book).
*`*`*`*`*`*`*
Letter to MPs - all use same House of Commons
address
The House of Commons
London
SW1A
0AA
Dated
Dear
Suspension of the EU-Israel Trade
Association agreement
The Parliamentary Select Committee for
International Development recently published its report into the problems of
providing humanitarian aid in the Occupied Palestinian Territories, and called
for the Government to press for the suspension of the EU-Israel trade agreement.
This trade agreement provides economic advantages to Israel - which are
nevertheless conditional on Israel respecting human rights.
This
recommendation comes, as I am sure you aware, as Israel is continuing to build
its so-called 'Security Wall' outside the 1967 Green Line, in contravention of
the International Court of Justice ruling. You may be further aware that Israel
has just authorised the construction of a further 2167 new housing units which
will expand the network of illegal settlements in the West Bank. The
implications of this for the future viability of a Palestinian state are
obvious. This figure is more than the number of housing units built by the
Israelis in the previous three years - and is in direct contravention of
undertakings given under the Middle East 'Road Map', endorsed by both Ariel
Sanction and President George Bush.
Moreover, the issues of settlement
expansion and the 'security wall' must be placed in the wider context of
Israel's on-going human rights abuses and violations of international law. These
include: the policy of extra-judicial execution of Palestinian leaders; the
collective punishment of the Palestinian people, with respect to the right to
work, move freely and receive emergency medical care and education; the civilian
house demolitions; the detention without trial of thousands of adults and
children; and the wanton disregard for civilian casualties during Israel's
all-too-frequent 'incursions' into Palestinian areas.
In light of the
above, an Early Day Motion - EDM 1288 - calls for the suspension of the Trade
Agreement. I urge you to support the committee's recommendations by signing this
motion, and by calling on the government to suspend the trade agreement. I would
also respectfully ask you to press the Government on this issue. Specifically,
to ask the Prime Minister and Foreign Secretary why they persist with diplomatic
rhetoric that has failed for so long - and which allows Israel to relentlessly
pursue its policy of amassing 'facts on the ground'.
If you do not
support the committee's recommendation, can you please explain your reasons? You
may sincerely believe that the current strategy of 'political pressure' and
'dialogue' with Israel is the best way forward - despite the fact it has
palpably failed to deliver a just settlement for the Palestinians for 37 years.
If this is your position, I would be also be grateful if you could point to any
direct evidence that such a strategy is benefiting the
Palestinians.
Yours sincerely
*`*`*`*`*`*`*
Letter to MEPs
Dated
Dear
Suspension of
EU -Israel trade agreement
Congratulations on your election to the
European parliament, I hope I can count on your support for a just peace in
Palestine.
You are perhaps aware that the EU has a trade agreement with
Israel, which provides economic advantages to Israel - but which is nevertheless
conditional on Israel respecting and upholding human rights.
I am sure
you are also aware that Israel is continuing to build its so-called 'Security
Wall' outside the 1967 Green Line, in contravention of the International Court
of Justice ruling. You may be further aware that Israel has just authorised the
construction of a further 2167 new housing units which will expand the network
of illegal settlements in the West Bank. The implications of this for the future
viability of a Palestinian state are obvious. This figure is more than the
number of housing units built by the Israelis in the previous three years - and
is in direct contravention of undertakings given under the Middle East 'Road
Map', endorsed by both Ariel Sanction and President George Bush.
Moreover, the issues of settlement expansion and the 'security wall'
must be placed in the wider context of Israel's on-going human rights abuses and
violations of international law. These include: the policy of extra-judicial
execution of Palestinian leaders; the collective punishment of the Palestinian
people, with respect to the right to work, to move freely and to receive
emergency medical care and education; the civilian house demolitions; the
detention without trial of thousands of adults and children; and the wanton
disregard for civilian casualties during Israel's all-too-frequent 'incursions'
into Palestinian areas.
As far back as April 2002 the European
Parliament voted for suspension of the EU Israel trade agreement. You may also
be interested to know that the UK Parliamentary Select Committee for
International Development published its report into the problems of providing
humanitarian aid in the Occupied Territories and called for the UK Government to
seek the suspension of the EU-Israel trade agreement. Many leading politicians
have since supported the call and 210 NGOs have lobbied for suspension of the
agreement.
In light of the above I am writing to respectfully ask you to
support the recommendations to suspend the EU Israel trade agreement. If you do
support the recommendations, can you please do all you can to press the
Commission to comply with them? Specifically, you may wish to write to the Trade
Commissioner and ask him to publish the justification for continuing a trade
agreement that guarantees Israel substantial economic and political benefits -
when Israel is clearly in breach of its obligations under the
agreement.
If you do not support the recommendation to suspend the
EU-Israel trade agreement, I would be grateful if could explain your reasons.
You may sincerely believe that the current strategy of 'political pressure' and
'dialogue' with Israel is the best way forward - despite the fact it has
palpably failed to deliver a just settlement for the Palestinians for 37 years.
If this is your position, I would also be grateful if you could point to any
direct evidence that such a strategy is in any way benefiting the
Palestinians.
Yours sincerely
*`*`*`*`*`*`*
North West MEPs
Mr Gary Titley
Labour (Leader of the
labour party in Europe)
Party of the European Socialists (PES)
Euro
Office
16 Spring Lane
Radcliffe
Manchester
M26 2TQ
Tel: 0161 724
4008
Fax: 0161 724 4009
www.garytitley.eu.com Email: contact@gary-titley-mep.new.labour.org.uk
Mr
Den Dover
Conservative
European People's Party (Christian Democrats) and
European Democrats (EPP-ED)
30 Countess
Way
Euxton
Chorley
Lancashire PR7 6PT
Tel: 01257 273
183
www.dendovermep.co.uk Email: ddover@europarl.eu.int
Mr
Chris Davies
Liberal Democrat
Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for
Europe (ALDE)
87A Castle Street
Edgeley
Stockport
SK3
9AR
Tel: 0161 477 7070
Fax: 0161 477 7007
www.chrisdaviesmep.org.uk
Email: chrisdaviesmep@cix.co.uk
Mrs
Arlene McCarthy
Labour
Party of the European Socialists
(PES)
Express Networks
1 George Leigh Street
Manchester
M4
5DL
Tel: 0161 906 0801
Fax: 0161 906
0802
www.arlenemccarthy.labour.co.uk Email: arlene.mccarthy@easynet.co.uk
Mr
John Whittaker
UK Independence Party
Independence and Democracy
(IND-DEM)
29 Winckley Square
Preston
Lancs PR1 3JJ
Tel: 01772
555 975
Email:
Mr David Sumberg
Conservative
European
People's Party (Christian Democrats) and European Democrats (EPP-ED)
c/o
North West Regional Office
55 New Hall Lane
Heaton
Bolton
BL1
5LW
Tel: 01204 848 314
Fax: 01204 841 920
www.davidsumberg.com
Email: dsumberg@europarl.eu.int
Mr
Terry Wynn
Labour
Party of the European Socialists
(PES)
Lakeside
Alexandra Park
Prescot Road
St Helens
WA10
3TT
Tel: 01744 45 16 09
Fax: 01744 29 832
www.terrywynn.com Email:
mailto:terry_wynn.labour@virgin.net%20twynn@europarl.eu.int
Rt.
Hon. Sir Robert Atkins
Conservative
European People's Party (Christian
Democrats) and European Democrats (EPP-ED)
Manor House
Lancaster
Road
Garstang
Lancashire
PR3 1JA
Tel: 01995 602 225
Fax: 01995
605 690
www.sir-robertatkins.org Email: ratsmep@sir-robertatkins.org
Mr
Sajjad Karim
Liberal Democrat
Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for
Europe (ALDE)
9 Harewood Avenue
Simonstone
Lancashire BB12
7JB
Email: