Edinburgh Green councillors have coordinated a letter from city councillors calling for peace and justice in Palestine, attracting signatures from councillors from different parties.
Labour, SNP and independent councillors have all added their names to the letter which calls for “an immediate ceasefire and an end to the blockade of Gaza to allow urgent and unconditional food, water, fuel and medical supplies to enter the area.”
The letter condemns the war crimes committed by both Hamas and the Israeli Government, and calls for an end to the occupation of Palestine which it describes as an apartheid. It also welcomes the demonstrations in support of a ceasefire; in stark contrast to the messaging from the UK Government.
Alys Mumford, Co-Convener of the Scottish Green Party group in Edinburgh who coordinated the letter, said:
“As City Councillors we cannot stay silent about Israel’s bombardment, siege and ground offensive in Palestine. We see the impact this has on people around the world, but particularly on our constituents who may have friends and relatives in Israel and Palestine or those who are being impacted by witnessing the killing of thousands of Palestinians by the Israeli Government.
We represent a city which stands firm against anti-Semitism, Islamophobia, and all other forms of racism and discrimination, and we condemn both the actions of Hamas on October 7th, and the ongoing war crimes of the Israeli Government. We call for a ceasefire and a lasting peace, and are pleased that Councillors from different parties and none are joining together to make this call – we look forward to more adding their names in the coming days.”
Edinburgh has seen mass assemblies in support of Palestine over the past month, with thousands of people marching through the city last Saturday, and protestors taking action at the Scottish Parliament and the facilities of weapons manufacturer Leonardo in Edinburgh.
The letter is still open to be signed by councillors, and you can see the list of current signatories online here: Edinburgh Councillors Open Letter for Palestine and Peace. We would love Scottish Green Party members to email their councillors from all parties urging them to sign up – write to them here.