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Gaza protests: tens of thousands gather in London to call for end to conflict Gaza protests: tens of thousands gather in London to call for end to conflict
(about 4 hours later)
Some 20,000 people are marching through central London on Saturday to call for an end to the conflict in Gaza and a ban on UK arms exports to Israel. Thousands of protesters gathered in London on Saturday to call for an end to Israeli military action in Gaza.
The protest, organised by the Palestinian Solidarity Campaign and Stop the War, set off from Oxford Circus at 1pm and will march past the US embassy in Grosvenor Square before ending at Hyde Park with a rally. Speakers including George Galloway and Diane Abbott will address the protesters. Police estimated that about 20,000 people took part in the march, which started at Oxford Circus and passed by the US embassy in Grosvenor Square to end in Hyde Park.
The march is being held as a public appeal for funds to help the victims of Israel's attacks on Gaza raise more than £4.5m in less than 24 hours. The Stop the War coalition, which organised the protest, said it was expecting up to 100,000 people.
The Disasters Emergency Committee launched its Gaza Crisis Appeal on Friday night on all major UK television networks. The Department for International Development has matched the first £2m donated by the public pound-for-pound. The peaceful demonstration will end with a rally in Hyde Park featuring speeches from MPs Diane Abbott and George Galloway.
The funds will allow the committee's member agencies, such as Oxfam and the British Red Cross, to help the hundreds of thousands of Gazans needing of clean water, food, shelter, medical treatment and psychological support. The march was led by protesters carrying a large "Free Palestine" banner, while placards and chants called for an end to the Israeli blockade of Gaza and the supply of arms to Israel by the UK.
Saleh Saeed, DEC chief executive, said that the total was a testament to the public's generosity: "The funds are desperately needed, with ongoing fighting in Gaza creating an unbearable situation for families and children. Despite the end of the ceasefire, aid is getting through ... but with the scale of the humanitarian crisis in Gaza, they urgently need more money to scale up their life-saving work." Rime Hadri, 34, a public health worker and volunteer for Stop the War coalition, said she decided to participate in the march because the government had "taken sides in the conflict".
Israel renewed attacks on Gaza on Saturday, with fighter jets carrying out 30 air strikes, killing five Palestinians, after militants fired six rockets into the Jewish state. "This has been ongoing for 60 years. I can see the injustice and inequality in this conflict," she said.
The most recent ceasefire ended on Friday morning, but combat has not resumed with the same intensity, feeding hopes for a new truce. Lou Everett, a probation officer, said: "The US are sending arms to Israel; the UK's standing by, saying to Israel and Palestine 'you guys need to sort it out', whereas they need to be part of the solution."
A US State Department spokesperson said it hoped that all parties would agree to another ceasefire on Saturday. The demonstration comes in the wake of the chair of the parliamentary select committee on arms export controls, Sir John Stanley, writing to the foreign secretary, Philip Hammond, requesting details of any UK military exports that may have been used by Israel to attack Gaza.
Pressure group Peace Now has called on supporters to rally on Saturday night in Tel Aviv against the conflict and to call for a diplomatic solution. On Friday night, Labour increased pressure on the government to suspend arms exports to Israel as the shadow foreign secretary, Douglas Alexander, called for the publication of a Whitehall review of existing licences.
Israel renewed strikes on Gaza on Saturday, with fighter jets carrying out 30 air raids, killing five Palestinians, after militants fired six rockets into the Jewish state.
The most recent ceasefire ended on Friday morning, but combat has not resumed with the same intensity, fuelling hopes for a new truce.
A US state department spokesperson said the Obama administration hoped that all parties would agree to another ceasefire.
Pressure group Peace Now has called on supporters to rally on Saturday night in Tel Aviv against the conflict and to call for a diplomatic solution.A public appeal has raised more than £4.5m in less than 24 hours to help the victims of Israel's attacks on Gaza.
The Disasters Emergency Committee (DEC) launched its Gaza crisis appeal on Friday night on all major UK television networks. The Department for International Development has matched the first £2m donated by the public pound-for-pound.
The funds will allow the committee's member agencies, such as Oxfam and the British Red Cross, to help the hundreds of thousands of Gazans needing clean water, food, shelter, medical treatment and psychological support.
Saleh Saeed, DEC chief executive, said: "The funds are desperately needed, with ongoing fighting in Gaza creating an unbearable situation for families and children. Despite the end of the ceasefire, aid is getting through ... but with the scale of the humanitarian crisis in Gaza, they urgently need more money."
Meanwhile, the Foreign Office minister who resigned this week in protest over the government's "morally indefensible" position on the Gaza conflict said Britain's approach had been flawed for some time.Meanwhile, the Foreign Office minister who resigned this week in protest over the government's "morally indefensible" position on the Gaza conflict said Britain's approach had been flawed for some time.
Baroness Warsi told BBC Radio 4's Today programme that her objections went beyond David Cameron's refusal to condemn Israel over the civilian death toll, which has reached almost 1,900.Baroness Warsi told BBC Radio 4's Today programme that her objections went beyond David Cameron's refusal to condemn Israel over the civilian death toll, which has reached almost 1,900.
Repeating her demand for an immediate suspension of arms exports to Israel, Warsi said there was no clear commitment from Britain to lead the international effort to keep both sides accountable.Repeating her demand for an immediate suspension of arms exports to Israel, Warsi said there was no clear commitment from Britain to lead the international effort to keep both sides accountable.
"Our language was not there. It was lagging behind. I don't think it was just words that would have stopped me from doing what I did. I think it was a combination of issues. It was the language that we were using; I think it was our lack of support for international justice and accountability for the crimes that had been committed.""Our language was not there. It was lagging behind. I don't think it was just words that would have stopped me from doing what I did. I think it was a combination of issues. It was the language that we were using; I think it was our lack of support for international justice and accountability for the crimes that had been committed."
The Conservative peer said the government needed to "move towards a Middle East policy that is in the long term sustainable" and she cited the UK's decision to abstain when the UN general assembly voted in November 2012 to recognise a Palestinian state as symptomatic of the problems.The Conservative peer said the government needed to "move towards a Middle East policy that is in the long term sustainable" and she cited the UK's decision to abstain when the UN general assembly voted in November 2012 to recognise a Palestinian state as symptomatic of the problems.
"There is no point in us talking about a two-state solution if we don't do the simple things like recognising Palestine in the way that the majority of the world has at the UN," she added."There is no point in us talking about a two-state solution if we don't do the simple things like recognising Palestine in the way that the majority of the world has at the UN," she added.
Warsi dismissed complaints that she had failed to condemn thousands of rocket attacks on Israel by Hamas, or the actions of Islamic extremists in Iraq.Warsi dismissed complaints that she had failed to condemn thousands of rocket attacks on Israel by Hamas, or the actions of Islamic extremists in Iraq.
Her resignation meant she could "live with myself", and she hoped it would bring together a "broad coalition" to address the issues behind the conflict.Her resignation meant she could "live with myself", and she hoped it would bring together a "broad coalition" to address the issues behind the conflict.
On Friday night, Labour increased pressure on the government to suspend arms exports to Israel as shadow foreign secretary Douglas Alexander called for the publication of a Whitehall review of existing licences.