Over a year since the genocide of the Palestinian people in Gaza by the Israeli army, public protests in support of the people of Gaza around the world have increasingly mounted against this brutal killing. These popular protests are different in Europe, especially in the big cities of Britain. In addition to these protests and taking of the British to the streets, they demanded role of human rights organizations. They have also called the UK government to stop such massacres and asked government to stop arms sales to Israel. The British protesters have recently started Oxfam’s petition against arms sales to Israel.
Popular protests and claims to stop arming Israel
From the beginning days of the painful attacks of the Israeli military, many Palestinians in Gaza Strip have been killed. These attacks include air strikes against civil places and infrastructures such as schools and hospitals. Israel has also killed more than 50,000 people, including women and children. Many people, especially Muslims around the world in America and Europe, have protested against this massacre. In some parts of these demonstrations, protesters have raged at police and supporters of Israel in the UK.
About one year after the Israeli’s army genocide, the hidden aspects of the story became more obvious. Furthermore, the protesters have found out what countries and governments are supporting Israel and equipping its military weapons. The UK government is one of those countries that equips the Israel. It has provided weapons of mass destruction to Israel for the massacre of Palestinians through various contracts.
According to the public pressure on the British government to stop sales of these weapons to Israel, a public petition has been created by collecting citizens’ electronic signatures on Oxfam’s formal website. Unhappy British citizens have demanded two electronic signature methods in the British House of Commons. They signed a petition in some international organizations as well, including relief and human rights, to inhibit arming Israel army. The most influential one is Oxfam’s petition against arms sales to Israel army.
The role of international organizations like Oxfam‘s petition against arms sales
International human rights and relief organizations such as Oxfam plays an important role in targeting people’s requests from governments. Oxfam has started a campaign to collect electronic signatures of the British. This started as Oxfam’s petition against arms sales to Israel by the UK government on the anniversary of 7th October.
So far, more than 100,000 people have participated in the campaign. Moreover, they have voluntarily signed this petition to reduce the killing of Palestinian people with British weapons by Israelis. The petition addressed a clear message to the British Foreign and Trade Secretaries. The message demands to review the sale of military equipment and stop arming Israel’s military.
However, such measures and public requests are significant. It seems that more measures and actions are necessary for the legal and judicial authorities to confront and even arrest the war criminals in the sale of these weapons and the killers of the Palestinian people in Gaza. The senior Israeli military and politicians involved in the genocide of Palestinians should be prosecuted. And the British politicians who are trying to conclude a contract to sell weapons to Israel should also be charged.
It seems that the general request of various European citizens, especially in the UK, should be to create a legal campaign against these people through international and national human rights organizations.
Popular demand from the UK government
Not only have people and citizens made their request to stop the sale of government military equipment through international organizations such as Oxfam and Human Rights Watch, but they have also followed up this public request directly from the British government and the ruling party, the Labour Party, led by Sir Kier Starmer who has been elected as the prime minister in 2024.
It is a good idea that the Labour Party, as the ruling party, pays attention to the general request. And it is beneficial for the party not to participate in the war crimes of Benjamin Netanyahu in killing of the Palestinians. It is also necessary to state that if the public requests do not heed the goals, they may not welcome the party in the upcoming elections. And the ruling party may also face conflict in international relations with other countries that oppose Israel.
On the other hand, with the countdown to Britain’s hosting of European countries in the ‘Euro 2028’ games, the European Nations tournament, the UK government is in dire need of national unity and avoiding social tensions. Therefore, such forward-looking approaches enable the new UK government to consider the public requests of its citizens. Moreover, it can remove them from a national and international security-military challenge.
The possibility of stopping arming Israel
According to popular protests in the streets of different cities in the UK, as well as student protests in important universities, British citizens are against the government’s arms trade with Israel. They have expressed their opposition to the government in different ways. This is why they have asked for Oxfam’s petition against arms sales. However, it is not clear how far the British government is preparing itself to give up its interests in arming the Israeli army and these lucrative contracts that cost the lives of other people.
Experience and statistics have shown that national and international organizations, including human rights, relief, and even humanitarian organizations, have a tremendous and vital role in achieving such goals.
On the other hand, considering the inauguration of Donald Trump as the new president of the United States of America and the close relations of his party with the Labour Party in the United Kingdom, as well as the commonality of both with the far-right party in Israel, the lack of follow-up by citizens in the legal field of stopping the sale of military weapons to Israel, as well as the judiciary, in pursuing the perpetrators and war partners of the Palestinian genocides, new massacres and genocides may emerge in the Middle East and even in Europe.
