As a Labour Group we are proud to have run the City Council for nearly 10 years. It is an honour and privilege for the Labour Party to have been entrusted with this responsibility by the residents of this wonderful city.

This responsibility brings with it certain obligations to act on behalf of our residents. As a result, and at the request of the Cambridge City Council Labour Group, I am writing to you to stress our Councillors’ position on the Israel Palestine Conflict and urge you to call for an immediate ceasefire.

At the beginning of November, we released a statement in which we condemned the killing of innocent civilians in both Israel and Palestine, the capture and holding of hostages, the siege of Gaza and the attacks by settlers in the West Bank.

As a result of the strength of feeling felt by our residents we also called for an ‘an immediate ceasefire and the delivery of humanitarian aid to prevent any further loss of life and ensure that the human rights of all Palestinians and Israelis are protected.’

Councillors were pleased to see a short pause in the conflict at the end of November, enabling the exchange of captives and prisoners and the delivery of humanitarian to aid to civilians in Gaza. However, we are shocked and saddened that the violence has resumed, be it the missile attacks on Israel or the bombardment of Gaza, where the reported death toll now reaching over 22,000, two-thirds of whom are women and children. It is clear that the increasingly protracted conflict is leading to further loss on all sides and with the potential to spread to the wider region, as seen by recent hostilities in Lebanon and Yemen.

We are aware of and applaud all the work you have done to stand up for justice, and your lifelong commitment to advocate for human rights. We are also grateful that the Party leadership has since called for a ‘sustainable ceasefire’. However, we believe the Labour Party must demonstrate leadership at this crucial time.

I am therefore writing to reassert our position and call on the Labour leadership to act immediately and call for an end to this terrible violence and loss of life. We urge you, as Leader of the Labour Party to back the United Nations’ demand for a ceasefire. In addition, we urge you to call on the government to work immediately to find a pathway to peace and the development of a political solution to ensure the safety of civilians in both Palestine and Israel.

Cambridge City Labour Councillors will continue to stand in solidarity with all of those affected by this terrible conflict and work hard to make Cambridge a city free of Anti-Semitism, Islamophobia and hatred of any kind.

I look forward to hearing from you.

Thank you,

Cllr Mike Davey, Leader Cambridge City Council, on behalf of Cambridge Labour City Councillors

CC Daniel Zeichner