Why this petition matters:

Brighton Council Labour Group have now finally called for a ceasefire in Gaza.  This is a good start, but not enough.  We need an emergency vote and a statement from council leader Bella Sankey! 

In this letter to Brighton and Hove City Council leader Bella Sankey, we ask her to join her colleagues to urgently call for a ceasefire, and hold an emergency council meeting to vote for a ceasefire. 

How this letter may help:

Time is running out for the people of Gaza.  In the last month there have been over 10,000 causalities, over 25,000 people wounded, and more than 1.4 million people have been internally displaced.

On Friday 3 November, Action Aid said in a statement that over half a million civilians in northern Gaza face death by starvation as a result of the Israeli blockades and assaults.

We ask Brighton and Hove City Council to join this growing chorus calling for a ceasefire. 

By joining this petition on Change.org you agree to be a co-signatory of the below letter.

 

OPEN LETTER TO BRIGHTON COUNCIL LEADER BELLA SANKEY

 

Dear Bella Sankey,

Re: urgent call for a humanitarian ceasefire in Gaza 

This letter is signed by concerned residents of Brighton and Hove.  We share a horror at the ongoing assault of the people of Gaza by Israeli forces and ask you to join the voices expressly calling for an urgent humanitarian ceasefire in Gaza. 

On 2nd November at the Brighton and Hove Full Council Meeting, you made a statement echoing Labour Party leader Keir Starmer’s position calling for a “humanitarian pause” and fell short of calling for a ceasefire. This is not enough. 

As a legally trained individual with a background working for human rights NGOs, you must be aware that it is now widely agreed by UN and other international legal experts and groupings, and international human rights NGOs, that a temporary “humanitarian pause” is manifestly insufficient to deal with the developing catastrophe, and that an urgent ceasefire is required.  

We therefore ask you to now urgently call for a ceasefire and if not, to clarify your position and explain why you are not calling for an urgent ceasefire. 

There are now  multiple, credible, and growing reports of war crimes being committed by the Israeli Defence Force and other Israeli personnel,  including but not limited to: the use of “white phosphorus” in Gaza and Lebanon; attacks on ambulances and hospitals; deliberate targeting of civilians; collective punishment; disproportionate killing of women and children. 

The situation is already a humanitarian disaster, worsening on an hourly basis. In the last month there have been over 10,000 casualties in Gaza, over 25,000 people wounded, and more than 1.4 million people have been internally displaced.  On Friday 3 November, Action Aid said in a statement that over half a million civilians in northern Gaza face death by starvation as a result of the Israel blockade and assaults.  The leaders of eighteen United Nations agencies and NGOs have called  for an immediate ceasefire in the Israeli-Hamas war, expressing “shock and horror” at the mounting death toll.   

On Monday,  UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres said that Gaza is becoming a "graveyard for children".   As of 3 November, according to the Ministry of Health, 2326 women and 3760 children had been killed in the Gaza strip. These numbers represent 67% of all casualties. Thousands more have been injured. Approximately 420 children are killed or injured now in Gaza every day, some of them only hours old. 

Your previous statements suggest that you do believe you have locus in this matter, indeed we say that Labour councillors and council leaders are in a unique and meaningful political position to make a difference.  There is growing dissent within your own political party and there is strong precedent now for Labour councillors and council leaders especially, to take a principled position on this matter.  Hundreds of your councillor colleagues nationwide have found the courage to speak out on this issue, and we implore you to do the same.  

The City of Brighton and Hove has a long tradition of tolerance and humanity, and we ask you as leader of this city’s council,  to join the chorus calling for a ceasefire. Time is running out for the people of Gaza.