‘I got it wrong’: Conservative MP ‘withdraws’ support for Israel over war in Gaza
A long-serving Conservative MP has symbolically “withdrawn” his support for Israel over its actions in Gaza.
Mark Pritchard, the MP for The Wrekin since 2005, noted that over twenty years as a parliamentarian he had supported Israel “pretty much at all costs.”
Speaking in the House of Commons on Tuesday, he said: “The fact is that 13,000 children have been killed, 25,000 have been injured, maimed, wounded, orphaned – some of them.
“And for many years – I’ve been in this House twenty years – I have supported Israel pretty much at all costs, quite frankly.
“But today, I want to say that I got it wrong and I condemn Israel for what it is doing to the Palestinian people in Gaza and indeed in the West Bank, and I’d like to withdraw my support right now for the actions of Israel, what they are doing right now in Gaza…
“Of course, the hostages should be released; of course, the Israel has a right to exist; of course, the Israeli people, the Jewish people should have the right to live in peace, but so do the Palestinian people.”
He added: “We’ve had lots of statements over the last 18 months… I’m really concerned that this is a moment in history when people look back, where we’ve got it wrong as a country.
“Can the minister stand up to our friends and allies in the United States and make a strong stand for humanity? For us to be on the right side of history, for having the moral courage to lead – not just to follow the United States and to make a difference?”
The minister on duty commended Pritchard for his “very powerful intervention”, adding: “I hear his words and I feel their force”.
Hamish Falconer, the Foreign Office minister, added: “And I will, of course, endeavour to stand up on the international stage, and here in this despatch box, equal to the strength of some of these contributions.”
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