THE Barnsley Palestine Solidarity Campaign have handed a new letter to the council demanding a vote for a ceasefire in Gaza.

For months the group has been petitioning for an end to the conflict in Gaza and two weeks ago hosted a Palestinian who escaped the war to give a talk at St George’s Church.

Last week they presented another letter to the council outlining their intentions.

In the letter, they say: “The situation in Gaza and the rest of Palestine is urgent because of - as the group mentions - the continuing loss of life, but also because of the use of starvation as a weapon.

“We also repeat our request that a vote be held at a full council on whether to support an immediate permanent ceasefire.

“This should be recorded and the results published so that constituents know how their ward councillors have voted. This should not be seen as ‘too political’, the council after all took a view on the Ukraine issue and had no difficulty in flying the Israeli flag.”

Wendy Popplewell, executive director core services: “While we have sympathy for everyone affected by this conflict, our position on this has not changed since a similar request was made last year.

“Our council constitution states that any motion to be considered by members should be relevant to some matter in relation to which the council has powers or duties, or which directly affects the borough, as determined by our chief executive.

“A motion calling for a full and immediate ceasefire in all of Palestine is not directly relevant to the council’s powers or duties, nor would it appear to directly affect the borough. Therefore, we are unable to submit the request.”