MPs implore the Government to condemn Trump's dangerous Gaza proposals

By Daniel Britton

Last week, U.S. President Donald Trump sparked global outrage with his proposals to make the Gaza Strip "the Riviera of the Middle East". Responding to the announcement, in Britain, 68 MPs have signed a letter to Foreign Secretary, David Lammy, urging the UK Government to oppose the plans, which they state amount to "ethnic cleansing".

The MPs argue that the UK cannot remain silent in the face of such dangerous and inflammatory proposals, which suggest relocating Gaza's Palestinian population to neighbouring countries whilst an external force rebuilds the territory. The letter calls on Lammy to publicly reject the plans, push for a two-state solution, and immediately recognise an independent Palestinian state.

The letter states:

"We would like to express our outrage and ask that you" [Mr Lammy] "take urgent steps to prevent this" […] "including voicing the Government’s disapproval in no uncertain terms." The letter goes on to call the President's plans "an affront to the values that we hold dear".

Underscoring pressure from within London, the letter's signatories include several local MPs such as Diane Abbott Jeremy Corbyn, and Bell Ribeiro-Addy. With 38 Labour MPs’ signatures, one in ten of the Prime Minister's party supports the letter's demands. Kier Starmer, who has sought to sideline debates on Palestine, now faces renewed internal pressure in light of this letter.

London MPs Diane Abbot and Jeremy Corbyn have signed the letter, has yours?

Government Silence:

Despite mounting pressure, the UK government has conspicuously avoided criticising Trump’s proposal. A government spokesperson reiterated Britain's support for a two-state solution, stating that Palestinians must return to Gaza, but stopped short of an explicit rebuttal of President Trump's proposal. Lammy himself commented, “we must see Palestinians able to live and prosper in their homelands, in Gaza, in the West Bank, that is what we want to get to”.

On Sunday, speaking to the weakness of the UK's response, the UN's top investigator on Human Rights, Navi Pillay, stated, "forcible displacement of an occupied group is an international crime, and amounts to ethnic cleansing". With international condemnation growing, the UK government's silence speaks volumes. Without a clear rejection of Trump's proposals, the Government's passive stance risks amounting to tacit approval.

Join us in protesting Trump's plans:

The government's refusal to explicitly condemn Trump's proposal for what it is, ethnic cleansing, is unacceptable. We are keeping up the pressure. Join us tomorrow, 14 February as we march from Whitehall to the U.S. Embassy to oppose these plans and stand against ethnic cleansing in Palestine.

Gaza and Ukraine: A Test Bed For New Weapons Technologies

By Dave Webb

It is clear that Ukraine and Gaza are being used as test sites and as a shop window for new weapons technologies. The use of satellites, drones, cyberwarfare, artificial intelligence (AI) systems, global positioning systems (GPS), and electromagnetic fields (EMF) blocking and spoofing are among the most commonly used techniques employed by all sides. 

No war has seen both sides of a conflict use space and counter-space systems as much as in Ukraine. Satellites are deeply integrated into conventional warfare, and enable precision strikes, drone operations and missile warnings.

The primary military functions of satellites are Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance (ISR); Communication; and Positioning, Navigation, and Timing (PNT). 

Commercial satellite providers

A new dimension has been the reliance on commercial satellite providers. For the first time information that previously was only available from government sources has been supplied by commercial companies. The U.S. intelligence community has provided Ukraine with commercial satellite imagery in “minutes of collection,” in the first two weeks of the war, Ukraine downloaded more than 40 million square kilometres worth of geospatial imagery.

New technologies used in Ukraine

Ukraine has obtained satellite imagery and communications services from US, Canadian, and European companies which have provided optical images, synthetic-aperture radar images that see through cloud cover and at night, and radio-frequency data for detecting electronic emissions like GPS jamming and to locate and track Russian forces.

Ukraine is also being helped to defend against cyberattacks by the likes of Microsoft, Amazon, and Google, and has used commercial satellite communications services such as Starlink which is free for the Ukrainian military. Starlink has been used to carry out drone strikes and other military operations and has served as the backbone of the command-and-control software that Ukraine uses to share data, coordinate military operations, and communicate with US and NATO advisers outside the country. 

However, Starlink satellite internet dishes use GPS which Russia has been able to successfully jam. Russia is also using Starlink terminals obtained from third parties, despite sanctions.

… and in Gaza

Starlink services are also being used in Gaza to assist Israel’s ongoing genocidal invasion. Some of the tactics and technologies used in Ukraine have also been seen and developed in Gaza, especially the use of drones.

The US and UK have flown surveillance flights over Gaza and information will undoubtedly have been passed on to the Israeli Defence Force (IDF). 

Similarly, spy satellites will be used to monitor electronic communications and downlinked to Menwith Hill in North Yorkshire from where they will be passed on to the Israeli forces. Menwith Hill intercepts military and commercial electronic communications. It is one of the most important overseas US bases, established in 1952 and controlled by the National Security Agency (NSA).

Intercepted information could then be used by AI-enabled decision-making systems in Gaza known as “Gospel”, “Lavender” and “Where’s Daddy?”. These systems are trained to recognise features that characterise people associated with the military arm of Hamas. Features such as membership of the same WhatsApp group of known supporters, changing cell phones or addresses frequently.

The US and UK work closely on military space developments and a number of UK launch sites (mainly in Scotland) are being prepared which will be used by the military. The US also wants to station huge radar sites in Texas, Australia and Pembrokeshire as part of the AUKUS deal, to enable them to track satellites, target them and control space.  Indications are that the UK will carry on helping them wherever and whenever possible.

Interested in learning more?

Drone Wars in conjunction with Leicester CND is holding a one-day conference “Stop Tech Wars” Saturday 22 February to “inform and build” “a campaigning to challenge these developments”. To find out how to attend follow this link.

Dave Webb, is a member of CND’s International Advisory Group and Convenor of The Global Network Against Weapons and Nuclear Power in Space. Dave is Professor Emeritus of Peace Studies at Leeds Beckett University, and a former chair of the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament

NATO and the War in Ukraine with Andrew Murray: Now Available on YouTube

London CND’s meeting “NATO and the War in Ukraine” is now available to watch on Youtube

Donald Trump claimed he could end the war in Ukraine 'in 24 hours'. Was it anything other than an idle boast? What might a US-imposed political settlement look like? Will Britain still have a part to play? What would NATO's role be? And will we still face nuclear confrontation?

London CND joined Stop the War Deputy President Andrew Murray on 3 February to discuss.

The full video can be found below: