"An important act of solidarity" - Hastings Jews for Justice Welcomes Council Gaza Motion

Following the news that Hastings Borough Council voted through a motion on Wednesday 16 July calling for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza, an end to all arms sales to Israel and to recognise the town's friendship links to Al Mawasi, Hastings Jews for Justice released the folllowing statement:

Members of Hastings Jews for Justice were present in council chambers to hear the historic debate

"We welcome Hastings Borough Council's motion calling for an immediate ceasefire, an end to arms sales to Israel and to recognise this town's beautiful friendship with the people of Al Mawasi.

Many of our group were present in council chambers to hear this historic debate and were moved by the powerful speeches made by Green Party Cllr Yunis Smith, who proposed the motion, and Hastings Independent Group Cllr Simon Willis, who seconded it.

In his speech Cllr Willis said that his mother and grandparents fled the Nazis from their home in Hamburg but many of his Jewish family perished in Auschwitz.

He said that it was precisely because of his family's direct experience of tyranny, injustice and racism that he was taught to recognise and speak out against it.

As Jews of conscience we share Simon's deep conviction and commitment to speak out against unspeakable crimes being committed by the racist settler-colonial state of Israel.

Oppression, occupation, genocide and ethnic cleansing are crimes, no matter who commits them or where. 

We stand with the Palestinians in Gaza who are being slaughtered and starved right now and we  demand immediate action of our politicians.

We applaud all the councillors who chose to stand on the right side of history and used their voice and their vote to fight these crimes against humanity.

And we reject the idea, shared by several Labour Cllrs during the debate, that standing up for a people facing genocide is an attack on Jewish people in our community or 'divisive'.

This is based on a false assumption that equates Jewish values with war crimes and crimes against humanity. It is also deeply antisemitic.

We are thrilled and proud that Hastings is the first town in the UK to formalise twinning links with people in Gaza. 

This is an important act of solidarity with a people who are being made to suffer in the most horrific ways imaginable and we are determined to show that as British Jews it is not in our names."