Stop the war! Two states!

Ayman Odeh is a Palestinian socialist and member of the Knesset (Israeli parliament). He was speaking at a conference in London organised by the Israeli newspaper Haaretz.

“We cannot return [the dead] to their beloved families, but we can and must say that no more of our beloved family members will join them. We can and must stop this horrifying war now, today. [...]

“Any movement that calls itself democratic must put the end of occupation and a just, equal future for all of us — Palestinians and Israelis, Arabs and Jews — at the top of its agenda. [...]

“There must be a prisoner-hostage exchange deal immediately. And all nations of the world must do their part to end the atrocities and demand an immediate renewal of negotiations toward a final agreement. Let today be the last day of this criminal war, and let it be the first day of a new era in the history of our peoples. [...]

Ceasefire

“The United Kingdom must make good on the government’s promise to support an immediate cease-fire by ending all military, financial, and diplomatic support of the Netanyahu government’s war crimes and working to broker a prisoner-hostage exchange deal [...]

“It is beyond time that the United Kingdom joins the 146 nations in officially recognising the State of Palestine. But this recognition must not be symbolic, nor seen as a reward to be withheld for another day. It must be implemented now, as a step toward creating the conditions for sincere negotiations that will finally bring about a two-state solution based on democracy, equality, and justice. [...]

“We hear the mourning cries of mothers in Gaza and in Nir Oz [an Israeli kibbutz attacked by Hamas on 7 October], and we cry along with them all. We see the scope and scale of the atrocities the Netanyahu government continues to commit in Gaza, and we are not willing to wait any longer. [...]

“We must build a broader coalition of supporters for peace, based on respect for the right to self-determination for both peoples. A state alongside a state based on the June 4, 1967 borders [...] This process must create mechanisms of accountability for the past in order to ensure a strong, democratic, equal and just foundation for our shared future.”