Paloma Faith makes powerful appeal for peace in Gaza

Paloma Faith - Screenshot

Singer-songwriter Paloma Faith gave a heartfelt speech on Saturday, outside the Israeli Embassy in London, appealing for an end to the mass killing in Gaza.

She said: "When the ceasefire was called, like all of you I was relieved but fearful it would not last. I know that Israel has violated every ceasefire agreement it has ever signed. But even with that knowledge and that fear even after watching months of this genocide I wasn't prepared for these new depths of brutality to which Israel has descended.

Last Tuesday in 24 hours Israel killed 174 children. That's more than seven an hour. A child slaughtered every eight minutes. We should stand in silence for a minute for every child killed in GazaIn this genocide.

But if we did that we'd be silent for over 300 hours. So I won't fall silent.

I'm fortunate to have a platform, and I know that if I don't use it to speak out for the oppressed, then I am complicit in their repression."

Paloma said she could not have remained silent during the Apartheid era in South Africa, or in Germany during the Holocaust.

She appealed for everyone to join the protest against the killing taking place now in Gaza and the West Bank.

She finished with a poem for the children of Gaza written by Palestinian poet Khalid Juma:

Oh rascal children of Gaza,
You who constantly disturbed me with your screams under my window,
You who filled every morning with rush and chaos,
You who broke my vase and stole the lonely flower on my balcony,
Come back -
And scream as you want,
And break all the vases,
Steal all the flowers,
Come back,
Just come back…

Watch a brief clip on the Middle East Eye youtube channel: www.youtube.com/watch?v=b9CR6_gbqNU