Hugh Lanning, the chair of the Palestine Solidarity Campaign, wrote about Palestine following the Labour Party Conference.

He referred to the “sea of flags” waved at Conference in Liverpool during the debate as “the first time in living memory Labour has pro-actively discussed a motion on Palestine”. The motion called for a UK freeze on selling arms to Israel and was passed overwhelmingly.

Lanning thought this was a significant step forward, possibly in response to many appeals during the summer over Labour’s silence about Palestine. He quoted a Palestinian from Ramallah who said: “It had felt like we had been pushed under a bus by the British Labour and Trade Union movement” The Palestinian may have been referring to the leadership or Labour Members of parliament, it was certainly not true of many thousands of members including those who had been suspended or expelled for airing their opinion on the conflict on the west Bank.

Many of the Conference delegates wore the Palestinian lanyard in and out of Conference, and I have never seen Palestinian  flags waved at a Labour or Trade Union Conference before Liverpool 2018.

The Palestine Solidarity Campaign are of the view that any ethical foreign policy adopted by Labour must have “security, freedom, justice and equality for the people of Palestine as a priority issue”. They believe there is a difference between the oppressor and the oppressed and Labour should always be on the side of the latter.

The campaign is now planning to launch “Labour and Palestine” on social media later this year, which will include Facebook, Twitter and a linked website.

Read Hugh Lanning’s full article Labour and Palestine: It’s Time to Speak Up

For further information contact: Labour and Palestine

Ann Bonner