Thomas struggling for political recovery

In an email shot after voting for Labour amended* Gaza ceasefire motion at the chaotic Commons debate about the war in Gaza last Wednesday, Gareth Thomas, MP for Harrow West, said: “I will continue to use my voice to call for an immediate humanitarian ceasefire to end the bloodshed and suffering and to allow a sustained effort to salvage the hope of a two-state solution”.
The Palestine-Israel situation is a matter of significant concern in Harrow as indicated by public demonstrations, including outside Mr Thomas constituency office in Harrow for his ambiguous position regarding the ceasefire.
Furthermore, the Conservative candidate for the Harrow West seat, Abbas Merali is from the community that Mr Thomas has relied upon for votes.
“I share the pain and anger we all feel at the level of death and destruction in Gaza. We’ve all been shocked and appalled by the heart-breaking loss of life we’ve seen in the Middle East. The huge number of children killed is intolerable” Mr Thomas reassured.
Regarding what has been happening in Palestine, he said:
“Israel has used devastating tactics that have seen far too many innocent civilians killed, with unacceptable blocks on essential aid, nowhere safe for civilians, a growing humanitarian catastrophe and warnings of a deadly famine.
“Israel must not launch a military offensive in Rafah, the fighting must stop now. Around 1.5 million displaced Palestinians are sheltering there with nowhere safe to go, having previously been told to flee there by the Israeli military. Any military offensive in Rafah risks catastrophic consequences for the civilian population and fatal disruption to the humanitarian operation”.
Mr Thomas says that unlike Conservatives, he believes “the ICJ’s (International Court of Justice) interim ruling under the Genocide Convention on the situation in Gaza is profoundly serious and Israel must comply with the measures issued by the court in full”.
The Conservatives did not support the Labour amended motion for the immediate ceasefire to the fight in Palestine and “walked out of the House of Commons”.

*read the SNP’s Gaza ceasefire motion and the watered-down amendments here