'We are witnessing total erasure of Palestine,' says former Labour leader

Jeremy Corbyn MP addresses demonstrators gathered at a rally in Whitehall in solidarity with the Palestinian people and to demand an immediate ceasefire to end the war on Gaza on the 76th anniversary of Nakba in London, United Kingdom on May 18, 2024. [Wiktor Szymanowicz – Anadolu Agency]

Former Labour leader, Jeremy Corbyn, on Thursday sharply criticised Israel’s recent military actions in the Occupied West Bank, accusing the nation of committing war crimes with impunity, Anadolu Agency reports.

Corbyn’s comments come as Israel undertakes its largest military operation in the Occupied Territory since 2002, a move that has sparked international concern and debate.

In a statement on X, Corbyn expressed his deep alarm over the ongoing violence, framing it as part of a broader, systematic campaign to erase Palestinian presence in the region. “Israel knows it can commit war crimes with impunity. That is why it has launched its largest assault on the West Bank since 2002,” Corbyn said.

He further criticised the UK government, accusing it of being “shamefully complicit” in the conflict by continuing to supply arms to Israel.

“We are witnessing the total erasure of Palestine – and our government is shamefully complicit. End all arms sales to Israel, now,” he added.

On Wednesday, the Israeli army launched a major military operation in the northern West Bank, the largest in two decades, killing 17 Palestinians, according to the official Palestinian news agency, Wafa.

Israel has continued its brutal offensive on the Gaza Strip following a Hamas attack last 7 October, despite a UN Security Council resolution calling for an immediate ceasefire.

The onslaught has resulted in more than 40,600 Palestinian deaths, mostly women and children, and over 93,800 injuries, according to local health authorities.

An ongoing blockade of Gaza has led to severe shortages of food, clean water and medicine, leaving much of the region in ruins.

Israel is accused of genocide at the International Court of Justice, whose latest ruling ordered it to immediately halt its military operation in the southern city of Rafah, where more than 1 million Palestinians had sought refuge from the war before it was invaded on 6 May.

READ: Israel army launches largest West Bank offensive in 20 years, orders evacuations as death toll rises

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