“Genocide” refers to the violent crimes committed against a certain group, with the intent to destroy the existence of that group.

“Ethnic cleansing” is the systematic forced removal of a certain group, through their deportation, displacement or mass killing.

Make no mistake, both terms are well judged in defining the horrific events happening in Gaza.
There is nowhere safe in Gaza. Over 80% of the population is under active evacuation orders, and only a “trickle” of aid is reaching the approximately 2 million people living in desperate conditions.

The United Kingdom is complicit in this genocide. Their failure (or more aptly, their refusal) to acknowledge this actively challenges their integrity and reputation.

The UK’s support for establishing a national home for the Jewish people in Palestine, beginning with the 1917 Balfour Declaration, has had lasting impacts on the Palestinian population. Over the years the British government has consistently backed Israel, supported warfare and sold arms despite Israel’s violations of international law in the region that goes back decades.

The ceaseless massacre continuing to unfold in Gaza is a reality that confronts us all. We cannot ignore it.
In an age where disturbing footage and first-hand accounts are more accessible than ever, we have all seen the harrowing events play out for ourselves.
Despite the blatant evidence, the UK remains complicit, continuing to supply arms and only suspending a scant 30 out of 350 of its weapons export licenses to Israel.

What’s worse, the foreign secretary David Lammy told the House of Commons that using the term “genocide” to describe the systematic annihilation of Palestinian undermines the gravity of the term, referring its usage to the context of crises “like” Rwanda, WWII and the Holocaust, where millions of people lost their lives.

Yet the horrors of these past atrocities – those we collectively promised to “never again” allow, are mirrored in the daily suffering of the Palestinian people.
Just how many Palestinians must die for the UK to realise the severity of the situation and hold Israel accountable for its actions?

Palestinian author and activist Susan Abulhawa wrote a heart-rending article on the subject that was met with controversy due to her assertion that Israel was commiting the “holocaust of our time, in full view of a seemingly indifferent world.” I implore anyone to read this article and form their own opinion – in my view, the facts are undeniable, and the parallels to past genocides are clear.
It is shameful that our foreign secretary is choosing to undermine international law, opposing the International Court of Justice’s (ICJ) resolution that found a “plausible risk of genocide” in Gaza. Someone should remind Lammy that the UK government are violating their legal obligations under the Genocide Convention, established in reaction to the Holocaust.

Not only does this ignorance discredit our moral compass as a nation, but it dangerously misguides the truth of the horrors happening in Gaza. Ultimately, it is not incomparable to crises “like” the WWII or Rwanda, because death toll alone is not determinative for findings of genocide. And undoubtedly, a genocide project with the ethnic cleansing and displacement of the Palestinian people is taking place.

Since beginning to write this article, Israeli football fans have incited riots in Amsterdam this week. Mainstream media and Western politicians have framed these incidents as antisemitic attacks, disregarding the reality shown on social media showing Israeli fans deliberately provoking confrontation.
This misrepresentation deserves a deeper analysis of yet another instance of the West’s selective interpretation of events when it comes to the actions of Israel.
Meanwhile, the UK remains in denial, using the smoke screen of antisemitism to avoid confronting the reality of the genocide it is facilitating in Gaza.

This week also brought the harrowing eye-witness testimony of Nizam Mamode, a British surgeon working in Gaza. In Parliament, he broke down in detailing the war crimes he witnessed there, describing Israeli quadcopters that were deliberately striking down Palestinian children.
Can the accounts of the realities faced by Palestinians be any more candid?

The current responses of Western governments (in multiple aspects of current politics) are disheartening to say the least. Now, more than ever, it is crucial to remember the power of collective action and international solidarity. Let’s continue to hold our representatives accountable and push for policy that respects humanity and international law.