Alliance Party wants Belfast City Hall lit up in white for both Israeli and Palestinian deaths - TUV man brands it 'cowardice'

Alliance councillor Michael Long revealed the idea to the News Letter following a request earlier in the week to have the hall lit up in Israeli colours to show solidarity with Israel as the victim of a Hamas surprise attack.

The council had told the News Letter that no decision could be taken on it until a meeting is held on October 20.

But during talks between Alliance, the DUP, UUP, Sinn Fein, SDLP and Greens on Thursday, councillor Long floated his idea for an all-white scheme.

Here are links to all our coverage of the Israel-Hamas escalation over the last couple of days:

• 'How about a crackdown on terror displays in Northern Ireland' says campaigner as UK government demands action against Hamas supporters

• Israel conflict latest: Northern Irish Jew says 'we tried to warn people about Hamas - they want every last one of us dead'

• Israel conflict latest: INLA-linked group holds roadside vigil in Northern Ireland calling for people to 'support the Palestinian resistance'

• Israel conflict latest: WATCH - Republican group Lasair Dhearg broadcasts the message 'smash the Zionists!' onto Belfast City Hall

• Israel conflict latest: VIDEO FOOTAGE - Crowd in Londonderry chants 'from the river to the sea Palestine will be free' on the same day that UK government warns police to be on lookout for that phrase

• Israel-Hamas conflict: No condolence books, Israeli lighting, or flags for major Northern Irish public buildings

• Belfast-based Palestine campaigner calls Hamas incursion into Israel 'a counter-attack' - Amnesty International states latest escalation was caused by Hamas

• DUP human rights spokesman Jim Shannon MP says Hamas should be 'liquidated' and calls for 'aggressive' police crackdown on signs of support for the group

"We'd be happy if the building is lit up in white – that'd be for all the victims of violence of the last few days,” he said.

“We'd be happy with that and feel that'd obviously mark the horrendous incidents that have happened in Israel and also mark those who've been killed in Gaza.

"I'd prefer this not to become a contentious issue; obviously over 2,000 people have died in the last few days in Israel and Gaza. If we can mark those events in an appropriate way and get agreement on that that'd be a positive thing for us to do.”

When it was put to him that no decision is expected until October 20, he said that “if all party group leaders agree to something it can be done before then”.

Responding, the sole TUV councillor in Belfast Ron McDowell said: “I think it's an act of cowardice from the Alliance Party over the issue.

"I put a proposal over to Belfast City Council to show sympathy with the biggest terrorist attack since September 11, and the Alliance Party have rejected it – to put forward an alternative is to say no to the proposal.

"I'd put forward a proposal to light BCC up in blue and white with the chief exec on Monday. I put it in very limited terms – it wasn't to encapsulate any other issues other than the day's attack. It wasn't a statement about the constitutional position of the area, it wasn't about the national position of Palestine, the behaviour or misbehaviour of Israel in the past.

"It was a very limited-purposes proposal.”

In the wake of the Hamas attack, Prime Minister Rishi Sunak had urged all UK government buildings to fly Israeli flags and display Israeli colours.