Islanders in Orkney will be meeting again today, Saturday 2nd March, on the steps of St Magnus Cathedral calling for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza and a return of all hostages, but at the revised time of 1.30 to 2.30pm in respect of a funeral being held in St Magnus Cathedral. The vigil will return to its usual time of 1 to 2pm the following Saturday.

With the number of people in Gaza killed by the Israeli attacks now over 30,000, with 70,000 injured, the worst fears of humanitarian agencies have been realised with evidence of children having starved to death. Relief trucks with supplies have been unable to get through as they are stopped on the border by the Israeli forces.

Intense Israeli bombardment from air, land and sea continues to be reported across much of the Gaza Strip, resulting in further civilian casualties, displacement and destruction of civilian infrastructure, according to the latest situation report from UN humanitarian agency OCHA

More than 100 Palestinians were killed on 29 February  in Gaza City, where aid trucks attempted to deliver food and other lifesaving supplies close to an Israeli checkpoint. Thousands of desperate people had gathered around trucks carrying supplies. Israeli forces had fired into the crowd of thousands.

The Israeli Defense Force said soldiers had opened fire in a “limited response” to deter crowds from advancing on their checkpoint, but news reports suggest that amid chaotic scenes and a scramble for aid, many casualties were caused by trucks running people over.

 UN Secretary-General António Guterres  called for an independent investigation.

The United Nations World Health Organisation Spokesperson Christian Lindmeier said :

“The official records yesterday or this morning said there was a tenth child officially registered in a hospital as having starved to death.” However, the unofficial number will be much higher. “The system in Gaza – we’ve said it many times that it’s on its knees – it’s more than on its knees,” he continued, explaining that all of Gaza’s “lifelines have more or less been cut”, notably water and electricity.

Latest humanitarian food insecurity assessments – the IPC classification index which is used as a reference by aid agencies – indicate that the entire population of Gaza – 2.2 million people – face “crisis” levels of food insecurity. Of that number, around 1.17 million face “emergency” levels of food insecurity, and the plight for another 500,000 is “catastrophic”.

 The death toll in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, is now 406 Palestinians killed, including 103 children, since 7th October 2023.

 As of 29 February, 240 Israeli soldiers have been killed and 1,431 injured in Gaza since the beginning of the ground operation, according to the Israeli military. In addition, over 1,200 Israelis and foreign nationals have been killed in Israel, the vast majority on 7 October. As of 29 February, the Israeli authorities estimate that 134 Israelis and foreign nationals remain captive in Gaza, including fatalities whose bodies remain n Gaza.

The Orkney News wondered why the response of the public in Orkney to the genocide of the people of Gaza has been much weaker than the invasion of Ukraine by Russia was, a war now in its second year. Nearly 25,000 Ukrainian soldiers and perhaps up to 30,000, have been killed in the two years. The UN Human Rights Monitoring Mission in Ukraine said there have been 30,457 civilian casualties since 24 February 2022. This comprised 10,582 killed and 19,875 injured.

People in Orkney were very active in their support for the people of Ukraine and this included the local council and politicians at every level. Most of the people at the Gaza Ceasefire Vigil (possibly all of them) were also very active, and continue to be so, in support of the people of Ukraine. But not so Orkney’s councillors and local council. What could be the difference? The Orkney News has tried to find out.

Shetland Islands Council passed a motion calling for an immediate ceasefire. It was put forward by councillors Alex Armitage (Scottish Greens) and Ian Scot (Independent). The Orkney News contacted the two Scottish Green councillors in OIC. One replied.

Councillor John Ross Scott explained that he “will have nothing to do with issues like this that engender hatred and racial tension. I pride myself in knowing quite a bit about about Middle East affairs and while I disagree with Israeli issues pertaining to the West Bank and the exclusion of ultra religious Jews from the ranks of the IDF, terrorism in the territory needs to be reduced for the safety of Israelis and Palestinians alike.”

And he continued : ” Hamas and Hezbollah – backed by Iran in its bid to spread Islam around the territory and wipe out the state of Israel needs to be controlled. When it comes to the Middle East my views mainly dwell on equalities or the lack of them on gender balance and race. It should not be forgotten that homosexuality is banned in many Islam countries and women are treated like second class citizens.”

“On a more positive note I am more confident that the potential cease fire during Ramadan and the dismantlement and re-establishment of the Palestinian Government will bring results. Let’s hope so.”

He concluded:

“I am a local Councillor not a national politician so I concentrate on local issues particularly at this crucial time of budget cuts.”

Councillor Scott’s colleague in Shetland, Alex Armitage, took the view that although it was unusual that international matters would be discussed at council level he believed the voice of the council could play “a small but significant part in ending what I think is a very gruesome conflict which has taken the lives of too many Israelis and Palestinians”.

At a national level the Scottish Green Party has been very clear on their opposition to the violence and genocide being committed by the state of Israel on the people of Gaza. Speaking before the vote in the UK Parliament about a ceasefire which ended in chaotic scenes and calls for the resignation of the Speaker , the Scottish Greens external affairs spokesperson Ross Greer MSP said:

“The Israeli military is being investigated for genocide by the highest court in the world. Families are being wiped out every day and over twelve thousand children have been killed, yet Westminster has continued to arm and support an occupation force inflicting these horrors on the Palestinian people.

“Hundreds of millions of us across the world want to see an immediate and lasting ceasefire. Many governments have already called for it, including our nearest neighbours like Ireland.

“The stakes could not be higher. Tens of thousands of innocent Palestinians have already been killed by Israel, children are having limbs amputated without anaesthetics and food, water, electricity and other vital supplies are being blocked.”

Since then the situation in Gaza has deteriorated even further as indicated at the start of this article. It still remains a mystery why the killing of innocent civilians in one war, Ukraine, and the killing of innocent civilians in another war, Gaza, – both of which are horrendous – receive such a different response locally.

Orkney Constituency MSP Liam McArthur, LibDem has not yet attended a Gaza ceasefire vigil but he was active in his support of the people of Ukraine. Fellow LibDem Alistair Carmichael MP for Orkney and Shetland, has joined islanders in Orkney on the steps of the Cathedral at their regular vigils for Gaza where he was interviewed by The Orkney News.

It is very strange, and incomprehensible, that two horrific conflicts, with the killing of tens of thousands of innocent civilians, should produce great support for the people of one, and indifference to the people of the other.

Mike Robertson produced another excellent short film of last week’s vigil where people expressed their views about the recent vote in the UK House of Commons where a debate which should have focussed on the suffering of the people of Gaza was hijacked by Keir Starmer to heal wounds in his Labour Party.

Fiona Grahame