Israel Hamas peace deal in Gaza: Some pro-Palestinian protestors accused by unionists and Home Secretary of having 'no interest in peace'
Pro-Palestinian protestors who have campaigned against killings in Gaza by Israel have been accused of turning a blind eye to emerging massacres of Gazans by a resurgent Hamas – and of having no real interest in peace in the Middle East.
Reuters has reported that Hamas has sought to reassert itself in Gaza since the Donald Trump-led ceasefire took hold, killing at least 33 people in a crackdown on rival groups.
On Tuesday Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood told MPs that the decision by some pro-Palestinian activists to continue protesting after the peace deal shows they are not interested in peace.
She said: “I think we can conclude that not all of those protesting truly wish to see peace in the Middle East – but that is for them to answer to what their motivations really are.”
DUP MP Sammy Wilson said he tackled Prime Minister Keir Starmer about the matter in the House of Commons on Tuesday.
“These public executions are a bad omen for the future and proves the point that Donald Trump has been making, that Hamas has to be disbanded and removed from Gaza,” he told the News Letter.
On Tuesday he quizzed Mr Starmer on how he would end Hamas control of Gaza.
“He just replied that this would be very difficult, but he didn't give any details on how they intend to achieve it.”
But what struck the DUP MP most, he said, was the total silence of Labour MPs during the debate about Hamas executions this week.
“This tells me that really their pseudo rage about killings by Israel was not out of concern for Gazans – it was actually anti-semitism.”
He passed pro-Palestinian protestors outside Westminster yesterday, and noted that they are still pressing for sanctions against Israel, despite the peace deal.
“Again, they had nothing to say about these Hamas executions of Gazans.”
He strongly commended Ms Shabana for her comments, which was echoed by UUP MLA Steve Aiken.
“The Pro-Palestinian demonstrators have been driven largely by anti-Israeli and increasingly – it if wasn't always – anti-semitic hate,” he said.
“Hamas has been publicly executing Palestinians for years, frequently live streaming their gruesome activities, but the Pro-Palestinian supporters have ignored these extreme violations of human rights.
“The chances of the ProPals losing their anti-semitic approach for even a day shows that 'stopping and thinking' is unlikely.
“Even on October 7, pro-Palestinians took to our streets and university halls to continue with their racist hate speech – they won't take one notice of Hamas.”
He also praised the home secretary's comments but said she was “somewhat hypocritical” as she has previously carried a poster calling for end of 'Israeli Occupation’ and had “failed” to enforce a ban on Palestine Action – which he said caused millions of pounds of damage to RAF aircraft.
On Tuesday in the Commons TUV MP Jim Allister also pressed Mr Starmer on whether disarming Hamas would be “wholly non-negotiable” and how it would be delivered.
Mr Starmer replied: “Disarmament must be non-negotiable, and that is why it is written into the 20-point plan, and it is why we are now putting ourselves forward to play a part in the decommissioning.”