Blog: The UK government must act on planned Palestinian evictions

We have all been shocked and appalled by the devastating scenes at the al-Aqsa Mosque in East Jerusalem during the holy month of Ramadan. On Monday, the Palestinian Red Crescent Society reported that over 300 Palestinians had been injured during the Israeli police raid on the mosque compound – almost 230 of whom were hospitalised. Last night, the Israeli military carried out bombing raids on Gaza, killing 24 people, including nine children, according to the ministry of health. Two Israelis also died when rockets were fired from Gaza, according to reports from Israeli paramedics. Tensions have escalated in recent weeks as right-wing groups have sought to inflame the situation and the Israeli authorities have further curtailed the rights of Palestinians, particularly in occupied East Jerusalem. UNISON condemns the violence and regrets the loss of life and injury to both Palestinians and Israelis. We have consistently called on the Israeli government to comply with international law. At the end of April, I wrote to James Cleverly MP, the minister for the Middle East and North Africa, to call on the UK government to take action against the planned eviction of Palestinian families from the Sheikh Jarrah neighbourhood of East Jerusalem, in violation of international law. There are currently more than 70 families at risk of forced eviction, including seven families who have been ordered to leave their homes in the coming days and weeks. The plight of the Palestinian families in Sh...
Source: UNISON Health care news - Category: UK Health Authors: Tags: General secretary's blog News Christina McAnea international Source Type: news