Town with community links to Gaza calls for ceasefire amid protest

Politicians in a coastal town which has a friendship exchange with a community in Gaza have written a letter to the Prime Minister urging the Government to act in the escalating crisis in the Middle East following pressure from residents.

A protest was held outside the Hastings Borough Council offices, in East Sussex, on Wednesday ahead of a full council meeting after Jewish and Palestinian solidarity groups said a motion to discuss the conflict in Gaza was blocked for a fourth time.

Calls have been mounting for councillors to demand a ceasefire, including at a previous meeting in March that ended abruptly after a member of the public asked representatives if they were holding a motion on the topic.

Hastings is a small town with a big heart. Through the friendship shared between our community groups and Al-Mawasi, we have demonstrated the power of community solidarity

Residents have raised £22,000 this year for people in Al-Mawasi, Gaza, with which the Hastings Friends of Al-Mawasi group have been building a friendship and language exchange for the last three years, the Hastings & District Palestine Solidarity Campaign (HDPSC) said.

Ahead of the meeting on Wednesday, a spokesperson for Hastings Jews for Justice added: “Standing for justice, peace and dignity for Palestinians is a matter of huge importance to people in this town as we can see by the positive responses to actions taken in their support.”

In a letter to Sir Keir Starmer read out by leader of the council Julia Hilton at the meeting, she said: “In Hastings, we feel this tragedy acutely.

“Our town is home to diverse communities, including those with ties to the Middle East, as well as British Jewish and Muslim residents.

“The conflict’s reverberations are felt here, and we must ensure it does not sow division among us.

“Our connection to the region is profound. This relationship has facilitated cultural exchange and provided much-needed humanitarian aid.

We will keep up the pressure to ensure our local representatives take a public and decisive stand against genocide, against apartheid and for the rights and dignity of Palestinians

“In the wake of the recent bombings, our commitment to Al-Mawasi has only deepened, as we strive to support our friends in their time of need.”

The Green Party group leader added: “Hastings is a small town with a big heart. Through the friendship shared between our community groups and Al-Mawasi, we have demonstrated the power of community solidarity.

“However, meaningful, lasting change requires leadership at national and international levels.”

The text, which has so far been endorsed by the council’s Green and Labour party groups, and Labour mayor Judy Rogers, urges the Government to advocate for a ceasefire and stop arms exports to any party involved in the conflict, alongside supporting local and global connections and upholding international law.

Secretary of HDPSC, Laurie Holden, said the group welcomed the letter after 13 months of urging political leaders to “give voice to the strong feelings in our town” over the crisis.

“Though it is no substitute for the democratic process of discussing and voting on a motion to establish an official council position, it does mean that we heard the Labour group in Hastings finally urging an end to arms sales to Israel,” he said.

“We will keep up the pressure to ensure our local representatives take a public and decisive stand against genocide, against apartheid and for the rights and dignity of Palestinians.”

The move comes as Maidstone Borough Council’s political chief Stuart Jeffery also wrote to Foreign Secretary David Lammy calling for the Government to press for a ceasefire and to end all arms exports to Israel “given the plausible cause for genocide” on Tuesday.