Over 50 British Members of Parliament (MPs) signed a motion which expressed collective "alarm over the escalating Israeli military assaults" in the West Bank as of Wednesday.
The motion "urges the Government to take steps including a ban on all goods from illegal Israeli settlements and to end military cooperation and arms trade with Israel and all other trade that aids or assists Israel’s unlawful occupation."
The motion "condemns the targeting and killing of children including Ayman Al-Hemouni, 12, and Rimas Ammouri, 13," and "expresses alarm at Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz’s statement that Palestinian refugee camps in Jenin, Tulkarem, and Tubas are now empty of residents and his instruction to prepare for a prolonged military presence."
The two children were allegedly shot in the back in February by IDF forces, according to accusations made by the organization Defense for Children in Palestine.
It also "recalls the International Court of Justice ruling in July 2024 that Israel's occupation of Palestinian territory is unlawful and that all states have a legal obligation not to aid or assist this illegal occupation and to act to bring it to an end."
Who are some of the MPs who proposed and signed the motion?
The motion was originally proposed by Labour MP for Leeds East, Richard Burgon, and is supported by notable critics of Israel within the House of Commons, including former Labour party leader Jeremy Corbyn and Diane Abbott, who held several positions in the Shadow Cabinet during Labour's time in opposition.
Both Corbyn and Abbott have been embroiled in controversy relating to antisemitism on multiple occasions.
Burgon, known for his strong support of Jeremy Corbyn during the latter's leadership of the Labour Party, served as Corbyn's shadow justice secretary and has a history of pro-Palestinian and anti-Zionist comments.
Burgon was suspended for six months and was only had the whip restored in February – although the reasons for the suspension are unclear.
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In January, he "was alarmed by police treatment of Corbyn, McDonnell, and protesters," and denounced the Conservative Party's policies against pro-Hamas protests in London.
In May 2021, he attended pro-Hamas protests in London, where death threats toward Jews were chanted.
In 2014, he stated, "Zionism is the enemy of peace" and declined to endorse the party’s own definition of antisemitism.
Other MPs who signed the motion include independents who deposed Labour MPs in July 2024's general election under a platform against Israel's military actions against Hamas since the October 7 massacre, including Leicester South MP, Adam Shockat, Blackburn MP, Adnan Hussain, Dewsbury and Batley MP, Iqbal Mohamed, and Birmingham Perry Barr MP, Ayoub Khan.
Notably, despite the motion receiving non-partisan support, no members of the Conservative Party signed their support to the motion.
