LONDON: Conservative MP Paul Bristow has been fired from his government position after he called for a ceasefire in Gaza.
Bristow, who was a parliamentary private secretary at the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology, had written to Prime Minister Rishi Sunak urging support for a “permanent” halt to the war between Israel and Hamas, The Telegraph newspaper reported on Monday.
While Sunak has publicly supported “humanitarian pauses” to allow the delivery of aid to the besieged Gaza Strip, he stopped short of supporting a ceasefire, on the grounds that Israel is entitled to defend itself.
In his letter to the prime minister, Bristow said: “A permanent ceasefire would save lives and allow for a continued column of humanitarian aid (to) reach the people who need it the most.”
The MP expanded on his concerns on his Facebook page, writing: “Ordinary Palestinians are not Hamas. I struggle to see how Israel is any safer following thousands of deaths of innocent Palestinians. They should not suffer collective punishment for the crimes of…
