Labour is considering endorsing a motion from the Scottish National Party (SNP) to declare an immediate ceasefire in Gaza, according to David Lammy, the shadow foreign secretary. The party previously lost ten members of its frontbench who resigned to support an identical proposal earlier in the year. The stance follows a similar motion approved by the Scottish Labour Party on Saturday. Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer has condemned the conflict in the region, calling for a lasting ceasefire in a speech to Scottish Labour delegates, adding that fighting must cease permanently.
Lammy has called on any proposed solution to the crisis to address the roots of the problem with a view to resolving it in the longer term, thereby preventing further relapses in violence. There are fears among some that a unilateral ceasefire could lead to further rounds of hostilities, with insufficiencies in the terms of the deal leaving factions in the region feeling aggrieved and more likely to return to fighting.
Lammy has warned that parliamentary votes in the UK “will not bring about a ceasefire”, and that an agreement will need to be reached among Hamas, the Israeli government and other significant partners with interests in the region. In order to be effective, the decision would have to be backed up by similar action by strong international partners to build on any diplomatic gains made in Westminster or the UN.
The current escalation of violence in the region has caused widespread devastation and loss of life. Political leaders around the world have continued to call for an urgent solution to the problems in the region. The proposed motion is highly significant, being a rare instance of a major party backing a unilateral ceasefire from a state or non-state organisation involved in an active conflict.
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