|PIC1|The Mayor of London, Ken Livingstone has this week issued a statement calling for the “largest possible turn-out” to a national demonstration that will demand an immediate ceasefire in Lebanon and Gaza.

The protest will take place in London on Saturday 5th August, and will look to reveal the grave concerns of the atrocities being committed in the ongoing war in the Middle East.

Livingstone said, “The horror of the events in Qana confirms that there must be a full, immediate and unconditional ceasefire in Lebanon and Gaza.

“The announcement by the government of Israel of a 48-hour bombing pause, without ending other military operations, is totally inadequate,” he said, according to the Palestine Solidarity Campaign.

The Mayor of London went on to say that the crisis showed no real attempt to impose a unilateral solution to the war in the Middle East.

|AD|He said, “The present crisis shows the dead end of the attempt by the government of Israel to impose a unilateral solution on the Middle East, implemented by the ‘separation wall’, rather than the implementation of all UN resolutions and entering into meaningful negotiations with the elected Palestinian authorities and the governments of the surrounding countries.”

Calling for all prisoners to be released by both parties, Livingstone said, “Both the Israeli soldiers held by the Palestinians and Hezbollah and the Palestinian and Lebanese prisoners held by Israel must be released and, in line with UN resolutions, Israel must withdraw to its 1967 borders.

“I urge the largest possible turn out on Saturday’s demonstration in London called to demand an immediate ceasefire.”

The demonstration entitled ‘Unconditional Ceasefire Now!’ will take place on Saturday 5th August at 12 noon at Speakers’ Corner in Hyde Park, London. The rally will then march to Parliament Square.

The rally has been organised by Palestine Solidarity Campaign, CND, Stop the War Coalition, and the British Muslim Initiative.