Send RFA Argus ship to Gaza – George
West Cornwall MP, Andrew George, has urged the Government to send the Royal Navy hospital ship RFA Argus, currently based in Falmouth, to spearhead the humanitarian relief effort in Gaza. On Thursday, Mr George condemned Israel for “terrorising” the population in Gaza and wrote to the Prime Minister David Cameron to show international leadership in the face of the Israeli “onslaught”. Mr George described the assault by the IDF, one of the largest armies in the world, on Gaza, a territory roughly a tenth the size of Cornwall, as a “disproportionate act of cold blooded murder.”
Mr George said, “We must all find ways to support the citizens of Gaza. Therefore, I urge the Government to send the Royal Navy hospital ship RFA Argus to spearhead the humanitarian relief effort to Gaza. The ship is moored in Falmouth and is designed and equipped for this type of relief effort.
“The brutalising and cavalier way Israel is killing and maiming thousands of Palestinians and destruction of the infrastructure, hospitals, UN shelters, schools and homes in Gaza is horrific. Israel continues to bombard Gaza and restrict the flow of essential medical supplies and humanitarian relief into Gaza. A humanitarian crisis in Gaza must be intolerable, with people unable to get out, and effective relief barely able to get in.
“The UK should not just sit back and do nothing. Britain should be at the forefront of the humanitarian response to the tragic events in Gaza. By deploying RFA Argus, we would offer a symbol of action and support from the UK via Cornwall towards the citizens of Gaza severely affected by Israel’s military response.”
Mr George has written to the Secretary of State for Defence, Michael Fallon, to call for the immediate deployment of RFA Argus to support the humanitarian effort in Gaza.
He has also approached local humanitarian aid relief organisations based in his constituency – ShelterBox and Tom Henderson’s Byond Disaster Relief – to enquire about capacity to mount a shelter relief effort, should that be necessary and the resource and intent of the UK Government is provided.
*The petition to help persuade the Prime Minister to send RFA Argus to Gaza is linked below:-