THE public has been urged to defy the ruling elite’s one-sided condemnation of Hamas in the current Middle East conflict and join this weekend’s protest against Israeli war crimes.

Palestine Solidarity Campaign (PSC) director Ben Jamal said he was confident that tens of thousands of people will join Saturday’s London march in protest at Israel’s brutal attacks on civilians in the Gaza Strip.

Earlier today, he warned that a “chilling effect” from Labour and the Tories could discourage many from turning up to have their voices heard and would be partly responsible for any violent far-right attacks on the demonstration.

Speaking to the Morning Star, he highlighted that 150,000 and 200,000 had marched in 2021 in protest at the last major attack on the besieged Palestinian territory.

“It’s always difficult to estimate, but what I would say with confidence is that we think there will be tens of thousands marching,” he said.

“In May 2021, when there was the last significant assault on Gaza — and this one is unfortunately going to dwarf that — there were 150,000 and 200,000 consecutive marches.

“But we are also conscious there’s a chilling effect being imposed at the moment.”

He urged people to stand up for the plight of Palestinians as reports continued of the Israel military and Hamas inflicting atrocities on civilians on both sides.

Israeli retaliatory strikes have now killed 1,417 Palestinians, including 447 children, and the country’s government has vowed to continue to deprive Gaza’s two million people of electricity, water and fuel until some 100 hostages taken by Hamas are freed.

The Israeli death toll, meanwhile, reached at least 1,300 since the militant group that rules Gaza launched its surprise attack last Saturday. 

On Tuesday, Home Secretary Suella Braverman wrote to chief constables in England and Wales saying that waving a Palestinian flag or chanting in favour of freedom for Arabs in the region may be a criminal offence.

Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer has also been condemned for claiming that Israel has “the right” to cut off water and food supplies to Gaza’s residents — almost half of whom are children.

Four people were arrested during a Manchester vigil for the victims of the Hamas attack on Wednesday night.

Urging people to bring Palestinian flagsto the march, Mr Jamal said that Britain’s political leaders have rushed to condemn Hamas on the basis of its attack and “not only remained silent of Israel’s violations of international law but actually given it support.

“I think it’s really important that people who genuinely care of human rights, the violation of international laws, show that there’s significant public support whatever the position of our political leaders.”

He added that there had been no condemnation of “what the defence minister of Israel has said — that in justifying cutting of oil supplies to Gaza that Israel is doing so because they are dealing with human animals.

“No political leader in no member of the government, none of the opposition leaders have condemned those remarks and they have added rhetoric of their own.

“All of this is creating a climate that is normalising the dehumanising of Palestinians.

“If individuals come to attack the march, that’s their responsibility, but, as I say, political leaders have a responsibility as well to ensure their rhetoric is not adding to the environment where communities are targeted on the basis of their identity of support for the cause of Palestinian liberation.”

Labour was also accused of ignoring Jewish voices sympathetic to the plight of the Palestinians.

Jews for Justice for Palestinians Richard Kuper executive member told the Morning Star: “It’s incredibly urgent that people make their voice heard, given the hysterical rush to give Israel uncritical support in whatever it chooses to do.

“Alternative views must be heard saying that the indiscriminate bombing of Gaza cannot contribute to a solution. It can only engender hatred and make any prospect of peace that much more distant.”

Labour, he said, seemed to have lost the ability “to listen to any Jewish voices apart from the most zionist in the country.”

He added: “They have for a long time used anti-semitism as a weapon against the left in the party.

“No one is interested or supportive of a war in the Middle East. It threatens us all.

“Labour’s approach of uncritical support for Israel makes matters worse. 

“The media and politicians are making it impossible to hear people who make the distinction between support for Palestine and support for terrorism. They are trying to elide the two.

“That is not only factually and morally wrong, it will bring disaster in its wake.”