UK Friends of Standing Together activists join firefighters to demand Israel released impounded fire engine
On 18 November, UK Friends of Standing Together activists joined a demonstration at the Israeli Embassy called by members of the Fire Brigades Union.
The demonstration had been called to demand that Israel releases a fire engine, currently impounded by Israeli customs, donated by firefighters in Scotland to the fire service in Nablus, in the Palestinian West Bank.
Uri Weltmann, Standing Together’s National Field Organiser, sent a letter of the support to the protest, which was read out by Holly Kal-Weiss, a member of the UK Friends of Standing Together Steering Group. Uri’s letter is below.
To the Fire Brigades Union (FBU) members, protesting today in London,
This Saturday, dozens of violent West Bank settlers invaded the Palestinian town of Beit Furik, east of Nablus, and set cars and homes on fire. One civilian sustained bruises after being severely beaten by the attacking settlers. The town of Beit Furik and the villages south and east of Nablus are subjected to repeated attacks by West Bank settlers, as they target olive pickers, homes, and vehicles, under the protection of the army.
Watching videos of the buildings and cars burning in Beit Furik over the weekend, it becomes ever more clear why the Israeli authorities impounded the fire appliance donated by Scottish firefighters to their Palestinian colleagues. In the Occupied Palestinian Territories, even a basic service such as fire suppression has become politicized and used by the Israeli army and the settlers as another means to control the daily lives of millions of Palestinians, who have their basic rights denied, including the right to national self-determination in a sovereign state.
Standing Together — as a grassroots political movement of Jewish and Palestinian citizens of Israel, that campaigns for peace, equality, social and climate justice — stands with the just cause of peace in the Middle East, free from occupation and war, based on recognizing the legitimate rights of all peoples to safety, security, independence, freedom, and justice.
We hold with high regard the commitment of the Fire Brigades Union in the UK to the just cause of Palestinian liberation, and we join our voices with your voices, in demanding that the fire appliance be released from customs at Ashdod seaport and delivered safely to the West Bank.
More than a year into the current bloody and brutal war, we continue to demand a permanent cease-fire agreement that would stop the war, end the killing of innocents, and allow all hostages to return safely to their families.
In Solidarity,
Uri Weltmann
National Leadership of Standing Together
For more information on the protest, see the FBU website here, including a letter to the Israeli ambassador from FBU General Secretary Matt Wrack. The text of the letter is also pasted below.
Dear Tzipi Hotovely, Ambassador of Israel to the United Kingdom,
Fire Brigades Union demand release of humanitarian donation.
Civilian deaths due to ongoing violence in Palestine and Israel are deplorable and preventable.
Tragically, the huge number of children among the fatalities in Gaza has caused widespread trauma. The majority of the British public support a ceasefire, as does the Fire Brigades Union.
Firefighters are humanitarians, and cannot simply watch and do nothing as we witness such terrifying conditions continue to unfold. Firefighters understand all too well the dangers and challenges being faced by rescue workers in Palestine working in such dangerous conditions to try to save and protect lives.
The Fire Brigades Union has a long tradition of solidarity and good relations with firefighters in Palestine. In light of this, members of the Fire Brigades Union have sourced a fire engine, fully stocked with lifesaving equipment, and arranged shipment of this to the West Bank to assist with rescue efforts.
This is a simple act of solidarity by firefighters in the UK.
However, even though this vehicle and its equipment serve the sole purpose of saving and protecting lives, the appliance has been blocked by Israeli authorities since August 2024. These actions are indefensible. We insist that this life saving equipment be immediately granted entry to begin assisting the humanitarian and lifesaving actions of Palestinian firefighters.
Yours sincerely
Matt Wrack
Fire Brigades Union general secretary
Posted 20 November