'Ongoing Nakba': UK's Labour Party accuses Israel of Palestine's ethnic cleansing

UK’s Labour Party, on Monday, passed a resolution condemning Israel for allegedly perpetrating an “ongoing Nakba in Palestine'' and sabotaging their right to self-determination. The resolution passed at the Labour Party Conference 2021 further accused the Zionists of conducting multiple “assaults” on Gaza and the Al Aqsa mosque compound in Jerusalem as well as forcefully displacing Palestinians from Sheikh Jarrah. Notably, the Sheikh Jarrah dispute served as one of the main triggers of the 11-day war in May that led to more than 200 casualties and near-total obliteration of the Gaza Strip. 

“Conference condemns the ongoing Nakba in Palestine, Israel’s militarised violence attacking the Al Aqsa mosque, the forced displacements from Sheikh Jarrah and the deadly assault on Gaza,” the motion passed at the main opposition party’s annual conference read.

They added that with “de facto annexation of Palestine”, the Naftali Bennett administration has made it clear that they intend to “eliminate every prospect of Palestinian self-determination.” During the annual summit, the Labour delegates highlighted reports from Human Rights Watch and Israeli NGO B’Tselem, both of whom concluded that the state of Israel was conducting “Crime of Apartheid.” Furthermore, it also expressed support to the International Criminal Court (ICC)’s recently opened probe into Israel’s human rights abuses in Palestinian territories since 2014. 

What is Nakba?

Nakba refers to Israel’ ethnic cleansing of Palestine and near-total destruction of its society in 1948. Although May 15 is the day that officially marks the Nakba, the cleansing started much before, as reported by Al Jazeera, which said that by May 15, half of the Palestinians were forcefully expelled from the country.

11-day war

On May 10, Gaza based terror outfit Hamas fired its first projectile onto Israel, starting 11 days of obliterating aerials exchanges between the warring sides. As the conflict turned bloodier and the international call for peace gained momentum, a truce was signed. The war claimed over 200 lives, including women and children on both sides. However, experts deem the pact to be short-lived as both Israel and Hamas continue to claim victory against each other and attack each other's territories. It is imperative to note that quasi-democratic group Hamas and the State of Israel have fought four bitter wars in just over a decade and each of them has ended inconclusively. 

Image: AP