A packed meeting at Yorkley Community Centre on Friday, May 15 organised by Forest Friends of Palestine raised almost £1,000 in aid. It was addressed by Professor Nick Maynard who has worked in Gaza as a surgeon writes group member John Webster.

Professor Maynard talked about the horrific and deliberate slaughter which has been underreported in the western media but which our politicians are aware of because he has personally briefed them with first hand evidence of it. Despite this and because of strong British Government links with Israel, nothing has been done to stop it. Meanwhile, those who criticise Israel are accused of being ‘antisemites’ to try and intimidate them into silence.

Official figures show over 75,000 people, mainly women and children, have been killed to date but the figure is almost certainly many, many more than this. Thousands more have been crippled for life. Palestinian children have the largest amputee rates in the world for children.

The aim of the Israeli Government is to get rid of the Palestinian population who have occupied the area for thousands of years. The whole of Gaza has been demolished and all its hospitals, schools and universities deliberately blown up. Food is still scarce with cases of malnutrition increasing.

The killing goes on despite the highest court in the world, the International Court of Justice, declaring it a ‘plausible’ genocide and despite the fantasy that the USA puts around that there is currently a ‘ceasefire’ in Gaza.

Most worrying is the evidence that the Israeli army deliberately shoots individuals including children as ‘target practice’, with many shot in the testicles, head and legs on specific days of the week suggesting there is a competition between different groups of soldiers for ‘hits’. Worse, prisoners arrested are all branded as terrorists and brutally tortured. The torture includes the vilest methods imaginable – anal rape and, as recently exposed in the New York Times, dogs trained to rape both men and women. Many have died in these torture rooms with doctors and health workers particularly targeted.

The evidence is beyond deniable but despite this our government protects Israel, still provides it with arms and allows ‘spy flights’ to use British air bases in Cyprus to collect ‘intelligence’.

There is increasing opposition by the British Public to this slaughter, and it is one reason why the Starmer Government has lost moral authority.

On Thursday, June 18 at 5.30pm a film that looks at the history of Palestine called ‘Palestine 36’ will be held at the Studio Cinema in Coleford, and every Saturday morning from 10.00am until 11.00am a vigil is held at the Clock Tower in Coleford.

Enter ‘Forest Friends of Palestine’ into your search bar to find the Friends of Palestine website which contains details of forthcoming events.

Forest Friends of Palestine is a growing group of people living in the Forest of Dean, who are horrified by the ongoing genocide in Gaza, and the continuing occupation of Palestinian land in the West Bank.