A Jewish lawmaker in the UK’s ruling party says Israeli's military action in Gaza is comparable to the Nazis during the Holocaust. The lawmaker’s grandmother was one of the Holocaust’s victims.
Mr. Gerald Kaufman, member of the ruling Labour Party, made this comparison during the British parliament meeting Thursday. He is one of many Jewish groups
protesting against Israeli attacks in Gaza.
Mr. Kaufman said his grandmother was ill in bed, when one of the German soldiers came to her town in Staszow and shot her dead in bed. He said his grandmother didn’t die in vain:
"My grandmother did not die to provide cover for Israeli soldiers murdering Palestinian grandmothers in Gaza."
Israel launched attacks on Gaza after Hamas launched rockets from their territory. Since then,
1,000 Palestinians and 13 Israelis have died and scores more are injured.
Mr. Kaufman wants an arms embargo on Israel and urged the country to seek real peace, not peace by conquest, which he said is unachievable.
He
accused the Israeli government of the following:
...of ruthlessly and cynically exploiting the continuing guilt from gentiles over the slaughter of Jews in the Holocaust as justification for their murder of Palestinians."
He also blamed Hamas, but said Israel has to negotiate with them because they were elected by the people.
Britain also witnessed several demonstrations against the attacks in Gaza; more than 20,000 people showed up last Saturday outside the Israeli Embassy in London. There were also rallies in London and Manchester in support of Israeli action against Hamas.
There is currently a
truce in the works but no agreement has been reached as of yet.