Since June, Israel has taken hostage over 30 democratically elected Hamas MPs, including Deputy Prime Minister Nasser al-Shaer, and Speaker Abdelaiziz El-Dweik, and has even charged some of them for the "crime" of belonging to a government Israel doesn't like. This is a direct attack on the democratic rights of the Palestinian people, which has rightly been condemned by the European Parliament. Last week, Keith Locke introduced a similar motion to condemn Israel's undemocratic actions. Here's the version from the Order Paper:
That this House supports the right of parliamentarians to freely pursue their duties; notes the opposition of the Inter-Parliamentary Union and the European Parliament to Israel's arrest of more than 20 members of the Palestinian parliament; and calls for the immediate and unconditional release of the Palestinian Speaker Abdelaiziz El-Dweik, the Deputy Prime Minister Naser al-Shaer, and the other arrested Ministers and members of the Palestinian Parliament
This motion was granted leave, and passed unanimously at the start of Question Time today. And its good to see. We should support democracy and the right of people to elect their own governments, whether we agree with the policies pursued by those governments or not.
4 comments:
They are charged with "membership in an outlawed organisation".
Why might Hamas be outlawed? I can't think.
It is as if IRA members stood for election rather than Sinn Fein.
(Note that I disapprove of these arrests, and think them stupid policy. Nonetheless, it is wrong to sum up the reasons as "a goverment Israel doesn't like", as though this were some unfounded and capricious fancy. Google for the phrase Hamas claimed responsibility and you might see why this is a misleading understatement.)
Posted by stephen : 9/05/2006 08:50:00 PM
Well Stephen, I wonder who might be responsible for the massive cluster bombing of Lebanon in the last 72 hours of the war with the completely obvious (and therefore arguably intended) effect of maiming many Lebanese civilians for months to come? Oh yes, that would be the democratically elected governmentof Israel wouldn't it?
Remind me of the rationalle behind why Hamas gets to be outlawed but Likud doesn't again?
Posted by Anonymous : 9/06/2006 09:10:00 PM
That's got nothing to do with the point I was making, which is that I/S is mis-stating why Hamas members are being detained and glossing over the reasons for Israel's action.
Posted by stephen : 9/07/2006 08:42:00 AM
It has everything to do with your point.
Who "outlawed" Hamas? Not the Palestinians.
How does Hamas come to be outlawed (the justification used for the detention) when Israeli political parties engaged in terrorism do not? It's beyond farcical to claim a distinction.
Posted by Anonymous : 9/07/2006 05:24:00 PM
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