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  • 2 years ago
Labour faces another parliamentary challenge on Wednesday as MPs prepare to debate calls for a ceasefire in Gaza. Lisa Nandy, the shadow international development minister, said that "the humanitarian situation in Gaza has nearly collapsed" and that it is why Labour in recent days has "shifted position, so that the world speaks with one voice and says an immediate humanitarian ceasefire is a must." The party had hoped to avoid another rebellion over the Israel-Hamas war by tabling an amendment to an SNP motion demanding an immediate ceasefire in the region. Report by Covellm. Like us on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/itn and follow us on Twitter at http://twitter.com/itn

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00:00 What's changed in recent months is that the humanitarian situation in Gaza has almost
00:05 completely collapsed. You've got 1.4 million people effectively kettled into a small area
00:11 in the south of Gaza near Rafa. They can't move forwards, they can't move backwards,
00:16 and a ground invasion is now imminent. That's why our Five Eyes partners, Australia, Canada,
00:22 New Zealand and the United States have all shifted position in recent days, and it's why
00:27 we've shifted position as well, so that the world speaks with one voice and says an immediate
00:33 humanitarian ceasefire is a must and that ground invasion cannot and must not go ahead.
00:38 This is an amendment that the vast majority, not just of Labour MPs, but of MPs across the House
00:44 can get behind, and we have deliberately crafted it in order to ensure that it can command the
00:49 widest possible support. I am clear, we're clear, that there are significant differences between
00:55 our position and the SNP's position. We have been absolutely crystal clear that a ceasefire
01:02 cannot be used to mean that one side must lay down its arms and not the other. It would be
01:07 unconscionable to ask Israel to lay down its arms at a time when Hamas continues to fire rockets
01:13 and to use violence against the Israeli people. And most of all, our motion sets out a meaningful
01:19 path forwards. In discussions in the region, all partners have been clear with us that if they are
01:25 going to lay down their arms, there has to be something to work towards. We've set out that
01:30 pathway forwards and we've done it in such a way that all MPs should be able to back it. There's
01:36 no prospect of the Conservatives backing the SNP's motion or of the SNP backing the Conservative
01:42 amendment, but all MPs could come together around our proposition today and that's what we're asking
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