Oxford City Council votes for permanent Gaza ceasefire

Labour recently lost its majority on Oxford City Council, with 10 councillors resigning over its position on the war

City councillors have voted unanimously to call for an "immediate, permanent ceasefire" in Gaza.

The motion requests that Oxford City Council leader Susan Brown writes to Rishi Sunak, Sir Keir Starmer and Oxford East MP Anneliese Dodds.

Labour recently lost its majority on the council, with 10 councillors resigning over its position on the war.

Sir Keir has argued a ceasefire would not be appropriate because it would embolden Hamas.

Six of the councillors who resigned formed the Oxford Socialist Independent group, which brought forward the motion.

It also asks Ms Brown to write to Foreign Secretary David Cameron to raise concerns about Israeli army and settler violence, and to Oxford West and Abingdon MP Layla Moran to express the council's solidarity with her and her family in Gaza.

The result of the vote was met with protracted cheers in the chamber.

'Principled stand'

Afterwards Paula Dunne, of the independent group, said: "I am delighted that city councillors have taken this principled stand.

"Our council has a strong history of standing up against human rights abuses internationally and condemning injustice.

"Oxford city councillors were clear tonight that a just, peaceful resolution must be sought by calling for an immediate, permanent ceasefire, a release of all hostages, and justice for Palestinians in arbitrary military detention."

Sir Keir Starmer has said a ceasefire would just freeze the conflict and embolden Hamas

Ms Brown also proposed a motion, which was not heard, which recognised "Israel's right to take targeted action under international law to defend itself and rescue hostages".

It also called for the humanitarian crisis in Gaza to be "urgently addressed" by the international community.

In a statement to the BBC after the vote she said: "I voted for the motion not because I thought it was perfect - I don't - but because it was the only opportunity that I was going to have last night to register my support for some critical elements of our motion.

"Namely, support for the immediate release for hostages, to call for a ceasefire and for talks to deliver a peaceful two state solution.

"Also because fundamentally it is important that at this time in our city we are doing everything we can to bring people together and to heal divisions."

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