Londoners demand end of Gaza siege

A protest demonstration was being held outside Prime Minister Gordon Brown's office in London Saturday, calling for the immediate end of Israel's continuing inhumanitarian siege of Gaza.

The candle lit vigil, which comes after head of UNRWA, Karen Koning Abu Zayd, condemned world powers for condoning the Israeli siege, were seeking to end the international silence over the plight of the Palestinians.

"We refuse to remain silent on the brutal collective punishment being inflicted upon the Palestinian population, which has reached even more horrific levels following Israel's cutting of fuel supplies," a group of academics, artists and politicians warned.

"The 1.5 million residents of Gaza, who were already suffering severe shortages of fuel, food and medicine, are facing a catastrophic humanitarian crisis in the middle of winter, without heat and lighting," they warned in a joint letter to the Guardian.

Signatories included former British cabinet minister and president of the Stop the War Coalition, Tony Benn, former Liberal leader David Steel, academic and journalist Victoria Brittain and such
award-winning actresses as Juliet Stevenson and Miriam Margolyes.

Britain's mainstream Palestine Solidarity Committee also warned that Gaza was especially vulnerable because it has suffered from years of economic restrictions imposed since the 2005 Israeli disengagement and increased after Hamas won the 2006 elections.

In December, the UN reported that the Palestinians were suffering from hunger and malnutrition due to food imports cover only 41 per cent of demand and with 80 per cent of Gazas, living below the poverty line, who receive food aid.