October 2023 To:
Andy Burnham – Metro Mayor of Greater Manchester
CC:
Kate Green – Deputy Mayor of Greater Manchester Cllr
Bev Craig – Manchester City Council
Cllr Paul Dennett – Salford City Council Cllr
Nick Peel – Bolton Council
Cllr Eamonn O'Brien – Bury Council
Cllr Arooj Shah – Oldham Council Cllr
Neil Emmott – Rochdale Council Cllr
Mark Hunter – Stockport Council
Cllr Gerald Cooney -Tameside Council Cllr
Tom Ross – Trafford Council
Cllr Nazia Rehman – Wigan Council
Dear Andy,
We write further to the statement signed by you, the Deputy Mayor and 10 council leaders, dated 27th
October 2023.
During this challenging time, we have been grateful for the unequivocal support given by Greater Manchester
Police and those elected to represent us. Many of the signatories to your statement either spoke or stood in
solidarity with the community at our vigil in St Peter's Square. It is a shame that the same messages of peace,
fighting prejudice and tolerance could not be heard at the pro-Palestinian marches across the country as
mainstream politicians are reluctant to attend given the problematic chanting, banners, flags and arrests.
There is much within the statement that resonated with the Jewish community. We concur that the crisis was
instigated by Hamas terrorists who committed the most barbaric atrocities against innocent men, women and
children. It is also our view that the hostages must be immediately returned and Israel has a right to protect
her citizens in accordance with international law. There is also a brief mention as to how the conflict is affecting
Jewish communities across Greater Manchester as we grapple with an unprecedented surge in antisemitic hate
crime. We note the call for a ceasefire is a response to the humanitarian crisis being faced by the Palestinian
people and we express our unreserved sympathy with each and every Palestinian civilian caught up in this
conflict.
It is our view that calling for a ceasefire shows a lack of understanding to the challenges currently being
encountered by Israel. A ceasefire implies that there are two enemies with similar but opposing objectives. Sadly,
this is far from the case with Hamas and Israel. A central component of Hamas' Charter is the destruction of
Israel and all Jews, including those residing in the areas in which you have jurisdiction. It is impossible to
reconcile these diametrically opposed ideological differences even without the added complication of 220
civilians who have been kidnapped.
It is important to us that the signatories to the letter explain how their vision for a ceasefire would bring about
peace. Asking a state that is acting in self-defence to agree to a ceasefire before its lawful defensive objectives
have been met is in effect asking that state to stop defending itself. What would Hamas be asking for given the
atrocities their fighters have committed in addition to their ideological aims and objectives to eliminate Israel.
This would merely be a sticking plaster to the problem allowing Hamas to rearm themselves for future
massacres. Israel's stated objective of the elimination of Hamas is not only proportionate but moral and
necessary to the future of peace for both Israelis and Palestinians. If the signatories do wish to wade into this
geopolitical issue, then a call for Hamas to alter the objects of their charter would be extremely helpful. If this
were to happen, all civilians living in Gaza would be permanently safe and secure.
We are extremely grateful to government and the opposition for recognising the situation on the ground and for
their united support for Israel. Their consistent solidarity has provided an immense amount of reassurance to
our community. At this moment, community cohesion and interfaith dialogue are of the upmost importance and
we believe this should be the primary focus of the GMCA and local authorities.
We feel it would be helpful to discuss this issue further in person and look forward to receiving dates in due
course.
Regards
Mark Adlestone OBE DL
Chair
Marc Levy
Chief Executive