Israel must stop.

The Scottish Socialist Party feels and shares the worldwide revulsion at Israel's ground attack on the people of Gaza.

This is an area slightly smaller than Motherwell, but with the entire population of the Central Belt of Scotland crammed into the small space, which has been subject to attacks by a professional army, equipped by Nato, for two weeks.

The children whom Israel has not managed to kill are traumatised by life, and the essential infrastructure of Gaza has been shattered.

Israel's actions are entirely out of keeping with the responsibilities of sovereign states. They are aimed at civilians, and they kill civilians. Reports from the Foreign Correspondent for the American TV station, NBC news, Ayman Mohyeldin (@AymanM) have plainly shown the Israeli forces targeting and attacking a group of football playing children. The children, who were shelled as they played, were between the ages of 9 – 11. Four young boys died shortly after the correspondent had been kicking the ball with them. Day after day, hour after hour, report after report, we see the medical services in Gaza, overcome by the targeting, injury and death meted out on ordinary children, women and men.

A child lies dead on a beach in Gaza after Israeli forces shelled his football match.

A mother is told the news of her child's death on the beach.

The Israel Defence Forces are acting in a manner in which they would never perpetrate against Israeli citizens.

We have been here before. There is a word for what the behaviour of the IDF has done to demolish the relationship between Israelis and Palestinians.

It is the only word which the Afrikaans language has given to the world. It is a word we hoped would only ever be used in history classes.

That word is Apartheid.

We oppose genocide. We call on the governments of Europe to join us in this opposition. We plead with the governments of our European Union to oppose Israel's genocide. We recognise and welcome the statement from the Scottish Government opening our hospitals to those injured in the Israeli attacks, but this needs to go further.  Scotland needs to send hospital aircraft to the region.  Scotland needs to send humanitarian aid and Scotland needs to ensure all TV services allow a Disasters Emergency Committee humanitarian aid appeal.We plead with the Scottish and UK Government to oppose Israel’s attacks and to use all the levers of commerce and diplomacy to bring this disproportional action to a halt.

Murder hurts its victims. Mass murder hurts humanity.
Israel must stop.