Councillors back call for Gaza ceasefire after emotive debate
Amajority of councillors at a full meeting of Calderdale Council supported a Labour motion calling for “an immediate and permanent ceasefire” in Gaza.
The motion also calls for the return to Israel of all hostages and for Gazans to have proper access to food and water, medical supplies and health services, with UK government to call for a key UN funding pause for aid to be lifted.
Beyond that, a long-lasting solution allowing states to live in peace must be found, they agreed.
Coun Silvia Dacre’s (Lab, Todmorden) motion also said the council resolved to “record its unequivocal condemnation of the conduct of the Israeli government in its campaign, which has meant 1.5 million people have been displaced, some several times”.
And “unequivocally condemn the terrorist attacks by Hamas against civilians in Israel, including the use of violence against women and girls”.
The motion had successfully replaced a Liberal Democrat motion which Coun Abigail Carr (Lib Dem, Warley) said had important elements Labour’s otherwise worthy one excluded, notably bringing local MPs – Halifax Labour MP Holly
Lynch and Calder Valley Conservative Craig Whittaker – to bear on speaking to their parties nationally, and recognising Palestinian territory.
But no councillors voted against the ultimately successful motion and the emotional nature of the debate saw the Conservatives offer to withdraw their motion on supporting Calderdale’s rural communities which, though important, could not have followed.
Conservative leader Coun Steven Leigh (Con, Ryburn) said: “May I suggest in view of the great import of what we have been talking about that we withdraw our motion.”
His deputy, Coun Howard Blagbrough (Con, Brighouse) agreed. “It has been extremely emotional, it has been quite harrowing,” he said.
Before the debate, a chanting protester – seeming largely to be critical of Labour’s stance nationally over a ceasefire – had to be removed from the public seating, although an earlier lobbying of councillors entering Halifax Town Hall had been noisy, with drums and chanting, but peaceful.
Coun Carr acknowledged both Labour and Conservative councillors might face restraints her Liberal Democrats and the Greens did not but urged councillors to break party ranks.
“Sometimes humanity has to trump politics, it just does,” she said.
Coun Carr said the Middle
East conflict had already produced “mind-blowing” numbers of people who had died, including 1,200 in Hamas’ attack, 153 United Nations workers just there to provide humanitarian relief, and more than 28,000 Palestinians, a figure which would already be out of date.
Supporting her, Coun Paul Bellenger (Lib Dem, Greetland and Stainland) said councillors became the voice for those who did not have a voice.
“We have watched with horror the atrocities which have taken place in Gaza, where nearly 30,000 innocent lives have been taken due to Israel’s heavy-handed and senseless approach to dealing with Hamas,” he said.
Coun Dacre said Labour’s motion encompassed all the heartfelt views that had been expressed.
“We think about the horrific, brutal assault by Hamas on October 7, over 1,000 deaths, sexual violence used as a weapon, 250 hostages including the elderly and children, about 130 hostages remaining, to the anguish of their families.
“That event has a terrifying historical resonance for Jewish people.
“Then we turn to the response of the Israeli government, the use of overwhelming firepower, obliterating neighbourhoods, killing it must be approaching 30,000 people on realistic estimates,” she said.
Both Coun Helen Rivron