‘When parliament votes on a ceasefire, I urge Bristol MPs to do the right thing’

On Wednesday evening, parliament will likely be voting on whether the UK will join others in the international community in calling for an urgent ceasefire in Israel and the occupied Palestinian territories.

I stand with thousands of Bristol residents in urging our four MPs to do the right thing.

People I am speaking to in Bristol were horrified by the Hamas attacks and want an immediate release of all hostages.

But this atrocity does not justify the mass human suffering we have seen in Gaza, a level of bombardment of civilians that has shocked the world.

More than 12,000 people have been killed since October 7, more than 11,000 of them in Gaza.

The dire humanitarian situation is intolerable and must end. This is only possible with an immediate ceasefire, unimpeded access for humanitarian aid, and the unconditional release of hostages.

We must urge our government to join those of France, Ireland, Spain, Norway and others in calling for an immediate end to hostilities, and then a renewed international effort towards a peaceful solution.

There is no military route to long-term safety and security for the Israeli and Palestinian peoples, as they both deserve.

Instead, there must be a political settlement, based on the requirements of international law and beginning with an end to the occupation.

I cannot bear to hear the arguments put forward in some quarters that more violence now prevents violence in the future. The lives of children should not be bartered in this way.

This is why it is deeply concerning that neither the UK government nor the official opposition have joined international calls for a ceasefire, a call led by experts in humanitarian crises.

Three-quarters of British people want an immediate ceasefire, and this could not be clearer in Bristol.

I have been proud to stand with thousands of residents at events across the city, perhaps the most poignant of these being Bristol’s children striking from school in solidarity with children suffering in Gaza, where I heard a child say, heartbreakingly: “I don’t have to lie in bed wondering if the roof is going to crash down on top of me like children in Gaza do.”

Listening to people at these events, I have heard their frustration that despite these actions, and writing to their MP, none of the four MPs who represent Bristol have joined calls for a ceasefire. It is with deep regret that I feel the need to point out that at times like these, silence is complicity.

Keir Starmer and the Labour Party leadership are urging Labour MPs not to back the call for a ceasefire on Wednesday.

Since this vote, if it takes place, is triggered by an amendment submitted by the SNP, Labour MPs are reportedly being told not to “undermine the party in Scotland” by voting for it.

The children of Gaza cannot afford for us to play politics with this issue. Indeed, 68 Labour MPs have already broken ranks, many under immense pressure from their constituents, to put peace before toeing the party line.

As political leaders, it is our responsibility to listen to people and use our platform to stand up for what is right.

As co-leader of the Green Party of England and Wales, I am using my platform to call for a ceasefire. I hope that come Wednesday’s vote, the MPs who represent Bristol will do the same.

This is an opinion piece by Carla Denyer, the co-leader of the Green Party of England and Wales and MP candidate for Bristol Central

Main photo: Green Party

Read next:

• Posters of people kidnapped from Israel appear in Bristol
• Thousands march through Bristol calling for ceasefire in Palestine
  
• ‘You cannot be silent in a time like this’
• Children march to City Hall demanding ceasefire
  

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