We, the undersigned, condemn in the strongest terms the brutal acts of violence committed by Israeli Occupation Forces on worshippers at the Holy site of Masjid Al-Aqsa, and the illegal theft of the homes of the Palestinian citizens of Sheikh Jarrah by Israeli settler groups.

Over 200 worshippers at Masjid Al Aqsa have been injured over recent days. Every Ramadan, Israeli escalate its human rights abuses against Palestinians by attacking and violating the sanctity of Masjid Al Aqsa by using stun grenades, tear gas and rubber-coated steel bullets on and around the premises.

These attacks are paralleled by illegal efforts to forcibly displace Palestinian families from their homes in the East Jerusalem neighbourhood of Sheikh Jarrah, to make way for Jewish-only illegal settlements. A settlement in Sheikh Jarrah will join the over 250 illegal settlements (which displaced 385 Palestinians and installed 700,000 settlers) in the West Bank and East Jerusalem.

If the removals are allowed to proceed, these Palestinian families - many already made refugees once over - will be left homeless, burdened with legal costs and will have little opportunity to remain in Jerusalem. These settlements are illegal under international law, and are part and parcel of Israel’s attempt to manipulate the demographics of Jerusalem, by ethnically cleansing its Palestinian inhabitants and providing political and legal support to settlers to build on stolen Palestinian land.

These settler colonial organisations are reinforced by the State of Israel, its discriminatory laws, security forces and racist courts, as well as the willingness of the international community to turn a blind eye to their crimes. They steal with impunity and chant “Death to Arabs” with the assurance that no one will stop them. The Zionist ideology enables this.

Since 1948, the Palestinian people have endured apartheid laws, settler colonialism, ethnic cleansing, military rule, child imprisonment, pain and generational heartbreak. The UK government has a responsibility to act, especially in the context of its historical role in the consolidation of the Zionist project. The UK government continues to sell arms to Israel, in defiance of its own export guidelines and as Human Rights Watch recently became the latest organisation to recognise the State of Israel to be an apartheid state. This imperialist violence is a continuation of Britain’s legacy in Palestine and worldwide.

- We call on the UK government, public bodies and civil society to take action against the State of Israel to abide by international law and reverse the expansion of illegal settlements.

- We call on University students in the UK to join Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) against Israeli Apartheid and campaign for your Universities to implement BDS.

- We encourage all students to email their local MP, the government and sign petitions: #SaveSheikhJarrah - Friends of Al-Aqsa (foa.org.uk)