By Declan Carey
A GROUP of British Jewish campaigners have called for Israel to end the occupation of Palestinian territories and put a stop to longstanding outbreaks of violence in the region.
Na’amod: British Jews Against Occupation held rallies throughout the past few weeks to spread greater awareness of the power imbalance.
The group is calling for Israel to end its occupation of the West Bank and East Jerusalem in order to find a long-term and peaceful resolution to the violence in the region.
Naomi Magnus of Na’amod told Redaction Report: “The ceasefire is a good thing, but it’s really only a short term stop in violence that will continue while the occupation remains.
“People are increasingly realising within the Jewish community the realities of the occupation.
“I’ve had people reach out to me, either at the events or online and say that they really feel like things are becoming clear for them now and they realise the power imbalances there and materially what the occupation means for people and how this conflict is a result of that.
“Like with most people, we want to see this ending to try to calm things down and find a more long term solution.”
Israel and Palestine agreed to a ceasefire after 11 days of fighting which led to the deaths of at least 240 people, most in the Palestinian territory of Gaza.
The state of Israel was created in 1948 after British authorities left the region, starting a power struggle between the Arab and Israeli populations.
The two sides have clashed several times since, often with Israel occupying more Palestinian territory such as after the Six Day War in 1967 where the West Bank, Gaza Strip, Golan Heights and Sinai peninsula were taken.
Israel subsequently withdrew from Sinai in 1982 following a peace treaty with Egypt.
More recently, tensions rose in 2018 when former US President Donald Trump announced the US Embassay in Israel would be moved to Jerusalem, officially recognising the city as the Jewish state’s capital.
However, in Britain not all Jews are united in their support of Na’amod’s campaign, and Magnus explained that the issue is increasingly dividing Jews around the world.
She said: “There’s increasingly a kind of fracture that we’re seeing within the British Jewish community and it’s the same kind of fracture that is happening in the American Jewish community.
“It’s potentially more obvious there because there’s a large number of Jews and it’s really a fracturing in part along age lines.
“It is also on political lines, very much to do with relationships with Israel with our communal leadership at the moment refusing to speak out to condemn the actions of Israel, whilst continuously pushing events or pushing narratives which call for lobbying and support for Israel and the Israeli government.”
Featured Image: Na’amod
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